Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for Tuesday. High for unsettled weather to develop from Wednesday onwards, but low for daily detail.
This evening forecast
Dry and partly cloudy, and hill fog confined to the highest tops. Light northwesterly winds.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Mainly dry with some brightness.
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
00% | 00% | 00% | 00% | 00% | 30% | 10% | 00% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
S
8
|
S
8
|
S
11
|
S
10
|
SW
10
|
SW
9
|
SW
9
|
S
8
|
| 900m |
S
9
|
S
6
|
S
7
|
W
7
|
SW
9
|
W
8
|
W
7
|
S
7
|
| 600m |
SW
6
|
E
4
|
E
4
|
NW
6
|
SW
8
|
W
7
|
S
6
|
S
4
|
| 300m |
SW
3
|
SW
3
|
SW
3
|
SW
5
|
SW
6
|
W
4
|
NW
4
|
S
2
|
| Glen |
SW
3
|
SW
2
|
S
2
|
SW
4
|
SW
4
|
W
3
|
N
3
|
SW
2
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 |
| 900m | 12 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 |
| 600m | 10 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| 300m | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Glen | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
5°
|
4°
|
5°
|
7°
|
8°
|
9°
|
8°
|
6°
|
| 900m |
8°
|
7°
|
8°
|
9°
|
11°
|
12°
|
11°
|
10°
|
| 600m |
10°
|
9°
|
9°
|
11°
|
14°
|
15°
|
14°
|
12°
|
| 300m |
11°
|
9°
|
10°
|
14°
|
17°
|
18°
|
16°
|
14°
|
| Glen |
10°
|
9°
|
9°
|
16°
|
19°
|
19°
|
18°
|
14°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,100m
|
2,000m
|
1,900m
|
1,900m
|
2,100m
|
2,200m
|
2,300m
|
2,300m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
4°
|
6°
|
7°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| 900m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
8°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
8°
|
| 600m |
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
10°
|
12°
|
14°
|
13°
|
12°
|
| 300m |
10°
|
9°
|
9°
|
14°
|
16°
|
17°
|
16°
|
14°
|
| Glen |
10°
|
9°
|
9°
|
15°
|
18°
|
19°
|
18°
|
14°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Feeling rather cold at height under cloud cover.
Weather
Any low cloud in the south of the area soon dispersing. Then some bright or sunny periods and the odd brief shower, but many ranges will stay dry.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
80%
Visibility
Generally very good with good visibility, some patchy low cloud below 500 metres in the south at first.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Dry in the morning with some sunshine. Cloudier in the afternoon and evening with some slow moving showers developing, these occasionally heavy with a risk of a thunderstorm.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
80%
Maximum wind speed expected
Southerly 20 mph
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 6 rising to 12 Celsius
- Glen Plus 7 rising to 19 Celsius
- Freezing level Above summits
Visibility
Cloud lowering to 850 metres in heavier showers later, otherwise very good with good air clarity.
Mountain weather information
Thursday 5 August
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Unsettled with heavy showers or longer spells of rain, chance of thunderstorms.
Friday 6 August
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Low confidence for detail. Further heavy showers expected, perhaps merging into longer spells of rain.
Saturday 7 August
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Low confidence for detail, likely to remain unsettled with the chance of further rain.
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