Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

Confidence

High for mainly dry and bright weather on Thursday then turning more unsettled from Friday with showers or longer spells of rain. Low confidence for rain details so please keep up to date on the forecast.

Mountain hazards

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.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Mainly dry, bright and warm. Chance of low cloud early and late.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Cloudy Fog
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
<5%
<5%
10%
30%
20%
20%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m SE 17mph knots
SE
17mph
SE 15mph knots
SE
15mph
SE 17mph knots
SE
17mph
SE 17mph knots
SE
17mph
E 15mph knots
E
15mph
E 15mph knots
E
15mph
900m
900m SE 21mph knots
SE
21mph
SE 18mph knots
SE
18mph
SE 14mph knots
SE
14mph
SE 16mph knots
SE
16mph
SE 13mph knots
SE
13mph
E 14mph knots
E
14mph
600m
600m E 12mph knots
E
12mph
E 11mph knots
E
11mph
NE 10mph knots
NE
10mph
SE 17mph knots
SE
17mph
E 11mph knots
E
11mph
E 12mph knots
E
12mph
300m
300m N 6mph knots
N
6mph
N 7mph knots
N
7mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
SE 10mph knots
SE
10mph
E 7mph knots
E
7mph
E 5mph knots
E
5mph
Glen
Glen N 3mph knots
N
3mph
NE 6mph knots
NE
6mph
E 3mph knots
E
3mph
E 5mph knots
E
5mph
E 4mph knots
E
4mph
E 4mph knots
E
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 20mph 19mph 21mph 22mph 20mph 19mph
900m
900m 28mph 25mph 20mph 22mph 19mph 20mph
600m
600m 15mph 14mph 14mph 22mph 16mph 17mph
300m
300m 7mph 10mph 13mph 16mph 14mph 11mph
Glen
Glen 11mph 11mph 6mph 10mph 8mph 9mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 6 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 15 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 22 degrees Celsius 22 degrees Celsius 21 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2700m
2700m
2600m
2700m
2700m
2700m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

A warm and humid day in the glens, especially near the west coast. Fresher on the tops with a cooling breeze.

Weather

Dry with clear spells and some patchy low cloud to start. This will soon clear, then mainly dry with long bright or sunny spells and becoming warm and humid. There is a small chance of some isolated sharp showers in the afternoon but most places staying dry. Low cloud and patchy drizzle extends into Argyll, the Trossachs and Arran during the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60% becoming 100%, becoming 60% again in evening.

Low cloud and visibility

Patchy low cloud on the hills at first, mainly in the east above 600m, but this soon lifting. Otherwise, visibility will be good with cloud above the summits, but some low cloud returning across Argyll, the Trossachs and Arran in the evening.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast