Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for Friday. High for cold and mainly dry conditions until early next week. Low for Tuesday.
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.
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.
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.
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
Sunny intervals and occasional snow showers.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
60% | 40% | 40% | 30% | 30% | 10% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
NW
41
|
NW
35
|
NW
27
|
W
23
|
W
24
|
W
22
|
| 900m |
NW
31
|
NW
27
|
W
21
|
W
19
|
W
20
|
W
18
|
| 600m |
W
18
|
NW
15
|
W
14
|
W
14
|
SW
14
|
SW
15
|
| 300m |
NW
8
|
NW
7
|
W
6
|
SW
7
|
SW
6
|
SW
7
|
| Glen |
NW
6
|
NW
5
|
W
6
|
W
5
|
W
5
|
W
4
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 48 | 43 | 34 | 29 | 31 | 28 |
| 900m | 37 | 33 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
| 600m | 23 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
| 300m | 21 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| Glen | 26 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-7°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
| 900m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| Glen |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
| Freezing Level |
200m
|
200m
|
200m
|
100m
|
0m
|
0m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-19°
|
-18°
|
-18°
|
-18°
|
-19°
|
-18°
|
| 900m |
-14°
|
-13°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
-14°
|
| 600m |
-9°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
| 300m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| Glen |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
Additional weather information
Weather
Cloudy start with frequent snow showers. Becoming brighter with some sunny intervals and occasional snow showers. The east of the region will see the driest of the conditions.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
40%. Cloud lowering to 600 metres in snow showers, this may linger in any frequent snow showers across the west in the morning. Rising to 70%.
Visibility
Very good outside of showers and cloud. Fresh snow may be blowing around.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A lot of dry and quite bright weather expected, although a few snow showers are possible across the far west of the region.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
90%, most summits clear of cloud. Patchy cloud down to 600 metres in any showers.
Maximum wind speed expected
Westerly 15 mph
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 4 Celsius
- Glen Minus 4 rising to 2 Celsius
- Freezing level 300 metres or less.
Visibility
Very good with good air clarity.
Mountain weather information
Sunday 24 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry, very cold and sunny.
Monday 25 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Staying dry and cold.
Tuesday 26 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry, cold and bright.
Updated at:
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Includes the northern and western Cairngorms National Park, Monadhliath, Ben Alder, Creag Meagaidh, Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch.
The North Grampian mountain weather forecast area includes much of the Cairngorms National Park which boasts five of the UK's six highest mountains and includes the largest areas of land in the UK above 2000 and 3000 feet. The Cairngorm Plateau is well-known for its extreme and very changeable weather (the strongest gust ever recorded in the UK was 173mph on Cairngorm Summit on 20th March 1986). Despite the challenging conditions, there is a diverse range of wildlife in the area including golden eagles, snow bunting and ptarmigan.
Creag Meagaidh, to the north of Glen Spean, is where the east Highlands meet the west Highlands and is often exposed to bad weather from either direction. It is a popular area for ice climbing thanks to its vast plateau which includes five Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet).
Ben Alder lies just to the west of Loch Ericht and is one of the remotest of the Munros. Approaches are long from all directions with options including a long walk or cycle from Dalwhinnie to the northeast or by taking a train to the very remote Corrour Station and walking in from the southwest.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service