Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High for showers or longer spells of rain on Saturday then drier on Sunday but lower for shower and cloud details. High for much colder and showery conditions into next week.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

This evening forecast

A cloudy but mostly dry evening with just a few showers over the Trossachs at first. Light southwesterly winds.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

hazard 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.
hazard Thunderstorms
Lightning is a significant mountain hazard which can result in serious injury or death. Mountain terrain often leaves one highly exposed to lightning strikes. Hail may give unpleasant conditions with torrential rain and localised flash flooding also possible, mainly in Summer months.
hazard Heavy Persistent Rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
hazard 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.

Mountain weather forecast

Showers developing, heavy at times. Light winds.

Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Cloudy Cloudy Fog Cloudy Heavy shower (day) Heavy shower (day) Heavy rain Light rain
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
10% 10% 30% 30% 70% 70% 70% 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 SW
14
SW
14
SW
14
SW
14
W
13
W
9
N
9
NE
10
900m SW
9
SW
10
SW
11
SW
11
W
11
NW
8
N
8
NE
9
600m SW
10
SW
12
SW
13
SW
12
W
11
W
8
N
10
NE
11
300m SW
5
S
6
SW
6
SW
7
W
8
W
6
N
7
N
7
Glen SW
5
SW
5
SW
7
SW
7
SW
7
W
5
N
5
NE
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 17 17 18 19 18 13 13 15
900m 12 13 14 15 15 12 11 14
600m 13 15 16 17 16 12 14 16
300m 10 11 11 12 12 10 12 16
Glen 9 12 13 13 12 9 9 10

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
900m
600m
10°
10°
300m
11°
10°
10°
12°
12°
10°
Glen
13°
11°
11°
12°
14°
14°
12°
10°
Freezing Level
2,000m
1,800m
1,700m
1,600m
1,600m
1,700m
1,700m
1,700m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
-2°
-2°
-2°
900m
600m
300m
10°
11°
11°
Glen
12°
10°
10°
11°
13°
14°
12°
10°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

A much cooler day than of late with some heavy rain and low cloud to plan and prepare for.

Weather

Scattered showers spreading in from the west overnight. A bright start but cloud increasing with showers developing more widely from late morning onwards. Some heavy with isolated thunderstorms developing in the afternoon.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% becoming 70%.

Low cloud and visibility

Extensive cloud cover at first, bases 600 to 800m with patches to lower slopes. Cloud mostly lifting off the hills during the morning then some patches developing to 400m in showers. Away from low cloud, visibility rather hazy, reducing to a few kilometres at times in rain.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Cloudy with patchy rain overnight to start the morning. Becoming drier and brighter from the northwest during the day with just isolated showers later, wintry on the Munro tops. Feeling colder.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% becoming 80%.

Maximum wind speed expected

Variable 5 to 10mph becoming West 20mph gusts 30mph in evening.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 3 or 4 C.
  • Glen Plus 5C rising to 12C.
  • Freezing level Above summits, down to 900m later.

Low cloud and visibility

Areas of cloud above 600m to start the morning, lifting to 900m or higher by the afternoon. Visibility sway from cloud mainly good with just brief reductions in rain or showers.

Mountain weather information

Mon 4 May

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Largely cloudy with showers arriving from the northwest, turning increasingly wintry above 500m. Fresh northwest winds with a severe wind chill on the tops. Freezing level 900m reducing to 600m.

Tue 5 May

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Sunny spells and showers, some perhaps heavy with hail, and falling as snow above 400m. Freezing level 400-600m.

Wed 6 May

Sunrise:
Sunset:

The cold and showery north or northwesterly airstream is expected to continue with further wintry showers above modest elevations.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service