Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for a lot of dry bright weather with a chance of a few showers, but lower confidence that this will last through the weekend as areas of rain and mountain snow start to affect parts of the country.
This evening forecast
Perhaps the odd shower at first, wintry on summits, otherwise a dry evening with cloud breaking. Moderate northeast breeze and freezing level dropping to 900m.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
Strong Sunlight
Harmful UV levels from sunlight increase with altitude giving a greater risk of sunburn and eye damage, even on some overcast days. On breezy days, the cooling effect of wind on exposed skin may disguise any feeling of sunburn until it is too late. If there is snow cover, glare increases the effect of UV rays especially on the eyes. It is advisable to wear sun block, protective clothing such as a long-sleeved top and hat and have good quality eye protection.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Mainly dry, bright though rather cloudy. Freshening southerly summit winds.
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
<05% | <05% | <05% | <05% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 40% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
E
9
|
SE
8
|
SE
9
|
S
8
|
S
13
|
S
17
|
SW
19
|
S
23
|
| 900m |
SE
10
|
SE
8
|
SE
9
|
S
9
|
S
11
|
S
13
|
S
13
|
S
15
|
| 600m |
SE
5
|
SE
4
|
SE
4
|
W
6
|
SW
10
|
SW
14
|
SW
15
|
S
17
|
| 300m |
E
3
|
SE
3
|
E
3
|
S
6
|
SW
8
|
SW
10
|
SW
10
|
S
8
|
| Glen |
NE
3
|
SE
2
|
E
3
|
S
6
|
SW
7
|
S
9
|
SW
8
|
S
4
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 29 |
| 900m | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 21 |
| 600m | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
| 300m | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
| Glen | 9 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
1°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
6°
|
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
8°
|
10°
|
11°
|
10°
|
8°
|
| Freezing Level |
600m
|
600m
|
500m
|
600m
|
700m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-9°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-4°
|
| 600m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
4°
|
5°
|
6°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
7°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
7°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Nothing extra
Weather
A dry night with clear intervals. The day mainly dry, quite bright with a few hazy sunny intervals though quite a lot of cloud around. In the evening some light showers may develop especially in Argyll and Lochaber with light snow flurries on the Munro tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%, falling 80% in evening
Low cloud and visibility
Mostly good visibility with only patchy cloud above 1000m, this more likely in the evening.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Bright or sunny intervals and occasional showers., wintry on highest summits.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% rising 90% by late morning then falling 60% during evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
South to southwest 30 gusts 40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 1 rising to Plus 5 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 5 rising to Plus 12 Celsius.
- Freezing level 900m rising above summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud down to 750-1000m at first then lifting to mainly above summits before dropping again in the evening, with hill fog. Also moderate visibility underneath in any heavier showers, otherwise good visibility.
Mountain weather information
Fri 8 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mainly dry and bright with sunny intervals and the chance of a few showers mainly in the east. Freezing level 1000m
Sat 9 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Low confidence. Probably cloudy with outbreaks of rain, mountain snow in north but a chance it could be drier.
Sun 10 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Confidence remaining low - most likely outcome is dry bright, but areas of rain in other parts of the country mean that the forecast should continue to be monitored.
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