Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in the cold, strong southeasterly winds persisting this weekend and into next week. Some uncertainty on the timing and extent of frontal snowfall on Monday night.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
Severe Chill Effect
Wind significantly lowers the ‘feels-like’ temperature relative to the actual temperature, with even moderate winds significantly adding to the chilling effect. Strong winds can result in a severe and debilitating wind chill many degrees below the actual temperature. This effect will be enhanced in rain or wet snow. Without protection, prolonged exposure could result in frost nip or frostbite on exposed parts of the body and/or hypothermia.
Gales
Gale force winds (gusts over 50mph) make walking difficult and strenuous with a potential to be blown over by gusts. There is often a marked increase in winds through cols or on exposed ridges and summits. Distances can take longer to cover and compass bearings become harder to follow accurately.
Poor Visibility
Poor visibility presents challenging route finding conditions. Visibility could be significantly less than 50 metres in all directions with few or no visual references, especially on featureless moors or plateaux. Distances become hard to judge and cliff or cornice edges can be difficult to recognise. These conditions require good navigational skills. There is a risk of white-out conditions when mist or fog is combined with extensive snow cover.
Heavy Persistent Snow
Heavy snow can lead to rapid changes in underfoot conditions and paths may become treacherous or hidden. It also brings very poor visibility and often makes navigation much more challenging. When deep snow accumulates progress is often time consuming and strenuous, significantly affecting the distance one can travel on foot. Deep drifts can develop if snow is combined with strong winds. A heightened avalanche risk is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
Mountain weather forecast
Strong winds, gales on tops. Mainly cloudy with patchy snow above 600m. Severe windchill.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
40% | 40% | 40% | 30% | 30% | 30% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
E
40
|
SE
43
|
E
41
|
SE
43
|
SE
42
|
E
44
|
| 900m |
SE
29
|
SE
31
|
SE
27
|
SE
28
|
SE
29
|
SE
30
|
| 600m |
NE
32
|
E
40
|
E
32
|
E
34
|
E
35
|
E
37
|
| 300m |
NE
13
|
NE
11
|
NE
12
|
E
12
|
NE
12
|
E
11
|
| Glen |
NE
12
|
NE
14
|
NE
12
|
NE
12
|
NE
12
|
NE
13
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 47 | 51 | 50 | 52 | 52 | 54 |
| 900m | 40 | 43 | 37 | 39 | 40 | 42 |
| 600m | 37 | 47 | 39 | 41 | 43 | 46 |
| 300m | 16 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 20 |
| Glen | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
700m
|
800m
|
800m
|
700m
|
700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-15°
|
-16°
|
-15°
|
-14°
|
-15°
|
-16°
|
| 900m |
-10°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
| 600m |
-6°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Winds gusting 50-60mph on tops will give very difficult walking conditions with progress highly impeded and a significant risk of being blown over. Challenging navigation with snow drifts and poor visibility on upper slopes. Please note we're aware of an issue affecting forecast wind speeds and gusts for higher-elevation observation sites (typically above 500?m) displayed on the Met Office website and app. In some cases, the forecast values shown on automated site data for mountain tops are much lower than the actual speeds. Our teams are actively working to correct the issue with wind data for high-level sites, and updates will be deployed as soon as possible.
Weather
Rather cloudy with outbreaks of snow, mostly light, patchy and falling as rain below 700-800m. Drier with some brighter spells possible around western coastal areas. Strong winds on upper slopes with gales on tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30%, best chances of breaks across Lochaber and western coasts.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud bases generally 900-1000m, occasionally lowering to 700m on southeasterly facing slopes, especially over the Trossachs. Visibility will be generally a few kilometres below cloud bases, but poor or very poor in blowing snow on upper slopes and tops.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Another rather cloudy with day outbreaks of snow, most persistent in the east and falling as rain below 500-600m. Best of the drier and brighter spells in the west. Strong winds on upper slopes with gales on tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20%, best chances around the west coast.
Maximum wind speed expected
Gusting 50-60mph on tops.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 1 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 5 Celsius.
- Freezing level 700m
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud bases generally 900-1000m, occasionally lowering to 700m on southeasterly facing slopes. Visibility generally good below cloud bases, but poor or very poor in blowing snow on upper slopes and tops.
Mountain weather information
Mon 26 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with snow showers, turning persistent overnight. Strong winds, gales on tops and remaining bitterly cold. Freezing level 500m.
Tue 27 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Remaining cold and very windy with snow, heavy at times. Freezing level 600m.
Wed 28 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Gales or severe gales and bitterly cold with periods of heavy snow. Freezing level 500m.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the rest of Lochaber, Argyll including the Isles, Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Arran
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service