Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High confidence for generally cold and unsettled conditions persisting, but low for exact detail day-to-day

Sunrise:
Sunset:

This evening forecast

Dry with clear spells through the evening allowing temperatures to fall away and a widespread frost develop. Cloudier over Caithness and northeast of Loch Shin, with cloud here quite widespread down to around 1000m. Feeling bitterly cold in southeast winds 25-35mph, gusting 45mph over the highest summits.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

hazard 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.

Mountain weather forecast

Dry and bright morning, hazier afternoon. Cold. Windy morning.

00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Partly cloudy (night) Partly cloudy (night) Sunny day Sunny day Sunny intervals Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
<05% <05% 00% 00% 00% 00% <05% 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
1000m SE
32
SE
31
SE
26
SE
17
SE
13
SE
8
SE
9
E
9
900m SE
32
SE
31
SE
29
SE
17
SE
13
SE
8
SE
9
E
9
600m SE
18
SE
20
SE
19
SE
15
SE
8
SE
5
SE
7
E
6
300m E
8
E
8
E
11
E
9
E
6
E
4
E
6
E
6
Glen E
14
E
14
E
16
E
10
E
6
SE
4
E
7
E
6
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m 39 40 36 22 17 11 12 11
900m 39 40 39 22 16 11 12 11
600m 26 30 30 20 11 8 9 9
300m 24 24 24 16 10 8 9 9
Glen 23 24 26 15 9 7 10 9

Altitude above mean sea level
00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
-4°
-4°
-5°
-4°
-3°
-3°
-2°
-2°
900m
-4°
-4°
-4°
-4°
-2°
-2°
-2°
-2°
600m
-1°
-1°
-2°
-1°
300m
-1°
-1°
-1°
-1°
Glen
Freezing Level
100m
200m
100m
100m
200m
300m
200m
200m

Altitude above mean sea level
00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
-14°
-14°
-14°
-12°
-10°
-7°
-7°
-7°
900m
-13°
-13°
-13°
-11°
-8°
-6°
-6°
-6°
600m
-8°
-8°
-8°
-7°
-4°
-2°
-3°
-3°
300m
-5°
-5°
-6°
-6°
-2°
-2°
-3°
Glen
-3°
-3°
-4°
-3°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Feeling bitterly cold despite sunny spells. Gusts of 40mph in the morning will give difficult walking conditions with a risk of being blown off balance. Navigation could be challenging with energy output significantly increased when walking into the wind

Weather

Partly cloudy in the early hours towards Strathfarrar and Glen Affric, with largely clear skies elsewhere. Then a dry day, with good sunny spells in the morning, but sunshine turning hazier in the afternoon as high level cloud spills in. Strong south to southeast winds will ease through the afternoon and evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

90% or higher, lowest chance in the east in the morning.

Low cloud and visibility

Generally no low cloud, clear summits and good visibilities, but some areas of cloud around Easter Ross and the Great Glen at first down to 800-1000m, with visibilities dropping moderate or poor in hill fog, but cloud here becomes more broken through the morning.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Dry with high level cloud first thing. Then staying mainly dry with some brightness towards Skye and western coastal ranges, but some patchy outbreaks of snow towards Caithness and Easter Ross. Cold again with strengthening east to southeasterly winds.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%, best chances in northwest

Maximum wind speed expected

East to southeast 15-25mph increasing to 30-40mph, gusting 50-60mph by the evening

Temperature

  • At 800m Minus 2 to minus 4 Celsius.
  • Glen Plus 1 to plus 4 Celsius.
  • Freezing level 300-400m

Low cloud and visibility

Often clear summits and good visibilities, but with high level cloud. Areas of cloud down to 800-1000m through the day in association with showery rain, and visibilities dropping moderate or poor in outbreaks of sleet or snow.

Mountain weather information

Sun 16 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Largely cloudy but dry. Some patchy outbreaks of snow in the east in the morning, and around west coast all day. Strong to gale southeast winds. Feeling cold with freezing level 300-400m.

Mon 17 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Low confidence but likely largely cloudy with some patchy snow around the west coast. Strong southeast winds. Feeling cold with freezing level around 200m.

Tue 18 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Low confidence but likely dry, partly cloudy with some brighter spells possible. Strong southeast winds ease down. Feeling cold with freezing level around 200m.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service