Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for transition to dry, settled weather during Sunday with winds easing, and for settled conditions and light winds persisting for first half of next week.
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.
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, some sunshine. Winds continuing to ease down.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
20% | 20% | 10% | 10% | <05% | <05% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
N
35
|
N
37
|
N
30
|
NE
24
|
NE
18
|
NE
13
|
| 900m |
N
32
|
N
34
|
N
27
|
NE
20
|
NE
16
|
NE
13
|
| 600m |
N
23
|
NE
23
|
N
19
|
N
11
|
NE
7
|
NE
8
|
| 300m |
N
6
|
N
11
|
N
6
|
N
3
|
NE
2
|
NE
5
|
| Glen |
N
13
|
N
15
|
NE
8
|
NE
7
|
NE
4
|
NE
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 40 | 43 | 36 | 29 | 22 | 17 |
| 900m | 37 | 40 | 33 | 26 | 20 | 17 |
| 600m | 29 | 29 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 11 |
| 300m | 31 | 38 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 14 |
| Glen | 30 | 34 | 22 | 18 | 9 | 8 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
700m
|
700m
|
600m
|
600m
|
500m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-11°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
| 900m |
-10°
|
-11°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
| 600m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
1°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Feeling bitterly cold, especially higher ridges and summits with sub-zero temperatures and strong winds, easing later.
Weather
A few light showers on Sunday morning, mostly over north Highlands, wintry above about 500m. Otherwise dry with sunny or clear periods.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70%.
Low cloud and visibility
Generally very good visibility with occasional cloud cover above about 700 to 800m.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A fine, dry day with plenty of sunshine and light winds at all levels. Cold with frost in the glens for much of the day.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%
Maximum wind speed expected
Light winds, variable direction.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 3 Celsius.
- Glen Minus 9 Celsius rising to Minus 1 Celsius.
- Freezing level 400m.
Low cloud and visibility
Excellent visibility with patches of cloud above about 700 to 800m.
Mountain weather information
Tue 10 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly dry with sunny spells and light winds, but cloudier in the north with chance of some patchy light drizzle. Frost and freezing fog patches persisting in some glens all day.
Wed 11 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Staying dry with some sunshine and light winds. Frost in the glens and some patches of freezing fog.
Thu 12 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rather cloudy with a little light rain during the day. Freshening southwest winds.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Separated from the Grampians by the Great Glen the weather forecast area includes Wester Ross, Assynt, Sutherland, Knoydart, Torridon, Glen Affric and the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service