Mountain weather

North Grampian

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North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High for unsettled weather into next week but low for daily detail.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

hazard 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.
hazard 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.

hazard Storm force winds
Storm force winds (gusts over 70mph) make walking very strenuous with any mobility virtually impossible over exposed ground. Where these conditions occur there is a high risk of being blown over and even standing may be impossible at times with a risk of being blown off one’s feet. Basic tasks such as using a map, eating, putting on extra clothing or communication become extremely difficult away from any shelter.

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.
Mountain hazards explained

Mountain weather forecast

Windy with occasional wintry showers, brightest in the northeast

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Cold winds at height making for severe wind chill, especially afternoon onwards with gusts reaching 70 mph on the very highest tops. A return to winter weather expected on the higher tops.

Weather

The morning and first part of the afternoon will see some brightness and the occasional shower, snow falling above 800 metres. Somewhat cloudier mid-afternoon onwards with a few showers, wintry above 1000 metres. Some longer spells of rain or sleet developing across the west especially around Rannoch Moor and Ben Alder.

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

70%. Some patchy cloud around 600 metres across the west and south of the area, this mostly in association with showers. Low cloud tending to become more widespread from the west as the afternoon progresses, best of the cloud breaks east of the A9.

Visibility

Very good with good air clarity, but dropping poor in snow.

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Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Likely to be quite cloudy for much of the day with a few scattered showers, but some reasonable spells of dry weather possible too. Some sleet or wet snow on the very highest tops

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

A lot of cloud down to 650 to 850 metres expected, best of any breaks in the north, and later on across the southwest.

Maximum wind speed expected

Northerly 20 mph

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 4 Celsius
  • Glen Plus 3 rising to 9 Celsius
  • Freezing level Above summits

Visibility

Briefly dipping in any showers

Mountain weather information

Tuesday 27 October

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Sunset:

A dry morning. Rain, and higher summit snow at times, will spread from the west in the afternoon and evening. Strong southerly winds. Freezing level 1200 metres early and late, otherwise rising above summits in the afternoon and evening.

Wednesday 28 October

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Cold and windy with frequent showers, wintry on the highest tops.

Thursday 29 October

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Sunset:

Cloudy with rain, low confidence for detail.

Updated at:
Mountain weather explained

Includes the North and West Cairngorms National Park, Monadhliath, Ben Alder, Creag Meagaidh, Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch.

The North Grampian region includes a large part of the Cairngorm National Park and the Balmoral Estate, the Scottish home of the Royal family since 1852. Five of the UK's six highest mountains lie inside Cairngorm National park, and there are 55 Munros (mountains over 3,000 ft). You will also find three of Scotland’s five ski centres including the Glenshee Ski Centre, the largest in the UK. The centre extends across four mountains, Glas Maol the largest at 1,068 metres and Carn Aosda the smallest at 917 metres, and includes 36 different ski runs.

Most people agree that Creag Meagaidh in Glen Spean is where the east highlands meet the west highlands. It is also this location which provides one of the area's most popular activities - ice climbing. This is thanks to its vast plateau from which five Munros (that seem almost made for climbing) stretch out. Seeing as plenty is on offer for visitors and it is crammed in a relatively small area, it should come as no surprise that the Creag Meagaidh area has been praised as offering all that is good about the Highlands in a single nature reserve.

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

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