Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence through the period and for a change to more wintry conditions from Thursday.
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.
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 with variable cloud cover
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
00% | 20% | 20% | 10% | 00% | 00% |
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
12
|
E
15
|
NE
15
|
NE
15
|
E
18
|
E
14
|
| 900m |
E
15
|
E
16
|
E
15
|
NE
14
|
E
17
|
E
15
|
| 600m |
NE
15
|
NE
16
|
NE
15
|
NE
15
|
E
20
|
NE
17
|
| 300m |
N
5
|
N
4
|
NW
4
|
N
4
|
NW
5
|
NW
5
|
| Glen |
E
3
|
NE
3
|
N
3
|
NE
6
|
NE
7
|
NE
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 14 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 18 |
| 900m | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 20 |
| 600m | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 25 | 21 |
| 300m | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Glen | 10 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
1°
|
1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| Glen |
0°
|
0°
|
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| Freezing Level |
600m
|
700m
|
800m
|
700m
|
500m
|
400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
| 900m |
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| Glen |
-3°
|
-2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Appropriate clothing will be required as it will feel bitterly cold from moderate heights in the fresh breeze.
Weather
Variable amounts of cloud throughout the day, best of the cloud breaks across northern Argyll and southern Lochaber. Chance of a brief light shower in the northeast early afternoon.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40%.
Low cloud and visibility
Areas of cloud above 700 to 900 metres, some of the highest peaks will stand out above the inversion top. Excellent visibility outside of cloud.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Dry with variable amounts of cloud
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
50%
Maximum wind speed expected
Northwest 10-15mph gust 25mph increasing 20-25mph gust 35mph by late afternoon
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 4C
- Glen Minus 3C rising plus 4C
- Freezing level 700m
Low cloud and visibility
Area of cloud above 650 to 900 metres, this most extensive across the east and south of the area
Mountain weather information
Wed 31 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with showers spreading south and becoming frequent and wintry at height from the afternoon. Gale westerly summit winds, increase severe gale at times. Freezing level 1000m.
Thu 1 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells interspersed with snow showers, these falling as snow to low levels. Gale northwest summit winds. Freezing level 300m.
Fri 2 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Snow showers in the north of the area, and along the west coast elsewhere, otherwise dry. Strong northwest summit winds. Freezing level 200m.
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