
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
Severe Chill Effect
Storm Force Winds
Poor Visibility
Heavy Persistent Rain
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% |
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
|
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 |
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
|
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
Cloudy with patchy light rain. Light southeasterly summit winds. Freezing level 1300m.
Sun 10 Dec
Cloudy with patchy rain, widespread south later. Moderate southerly summit wind. Freezing level 1000m.
Mon 11 Dec
Bright spells with early rain soon clearing. Fresh westerly summit winds. Freezing level 1000m
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
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