Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for unsettled and windy conditions with rain and showers at times as well as less cold than of late.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Heavy Persistent Rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
Mountain weather forecast
Patchy morning rain becomes widespread and heavy later. Windy.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
40% | 40% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
SE
60
|
SE
64
|
SE
60
|
SE
55
|
SE
55
|
SE
46
|
| 900m |
SE
71
|
SE
77
|
SE
68
|
SE
61
|
SE
58
|
SE
47
|
| 600m |
SE
49
|
SE
54
|
SE
48
|
SE
40
|
SE
38
|
SE
29
|
| 300m |
N
9
|
N
5
|
NE
14
|
NE
11
|
SE
17
|
SE
13
|
| Glen |
S
3
|
SE
2
|
S
4
|
SE
5
|
E
5
|
SE
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 74 | 81 | 78 | 73 | 73 | 61 |
| 900m | 85 | 91 | 84 | 76 | 72 | 60 |
| 600m | 69 | 71 | 64 | 54 | 52 | 44 |
| 300m | 13 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 40 | 31 |
| Glen | 18 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 900m |
1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
2°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| Freezing Level |
600m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
800m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-18°
|
-16°
|
-15°
|
-15°
|
-14°
|
-14°
|
| 900m |
-10°
|
-11°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
| 600m |
-8°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| Glen |
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
0°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Strong winds are expected from low levels, increasing to severe gale to storm force at height, making walking difficult particularly on exposed ridges and summits.
Weather
Cloud and rain, snow at height, spreads to all but northern ranges overnight. Rain will become patchy over south-eastern ranges for a time during the morning. Squally and heavy rain extends north over eastern and later western ranges from the afternoon when snow becomes restricted to the highest peaks. Rain will become patchy overnight.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30%
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud will remain broken at 400-600m and the visibility will be very poor in any early snow and later heavy rain otherwise poor in cloud and rain.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Some patchy rain over eastern ranges but mostly dry over western ranges.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20% but 40% over western and southern ranges.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southeast 20-25mph gust 40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 2 Celsius
- Glen Minus 2 Celsius rising to Plus 7 Celsius.
- Freezing level 1300m
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud will be extensive at 400-600m over eastern ranges but broken over southern and western ranges. The visibility will be mostly good, falling poor in cloud and patchy rain.
Mountain weather information
Sat 9 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with patchy light rain. Light southeasterly summit winds. Freezing level 1300m.
Sun 10 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with patchy rain, widespread south later. Moderate southerly summit wind. Freezing level 1000m.
Mon 11 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells with early rain soon clearing. Fresh westerly summit winds. Freezing level 1000m
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
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