Mountain weather
South Grampian and Southeast Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for southwesterly airflow through the period bringing mostly cloudy and mild conditions. There is uncertainty in the extent of cloud breaks and also for rainfall from Sunday.
This evening forecast
Dry with clear spells this evening. Moderate westerly winds.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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
Overcast with hill fog in the west, brighter in the east. Windy.
| 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% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 30% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
W
26
|
W
26
|
W
22
|
SW
20
|
SW
20
|
SW
24
|
W
26
|
W
30
|
| 900m |
W
18
|
W
19
|
W
18
|
SW
16
|
SW
18
|
SW
19
|
W
18
|
W
20
|
| 600m |
W
16
|
W
17
|
W
16
|
SW
15
|
SW
18
|
W
17
|
W
17
|
W
17
|
| 300m |
W
8
|
W
6
|
W
7
|
W
8
|
W
10
|
W
11
|
W
7
|
W
7
|
| Glen |
W
6
|
W
5
|
W
6
|
W
7
|
W
9
|
W
8
|
W
5
|
W
4
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m | 32 | 33 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 40 |
| 900m | 24 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 29 |
| 600m | 25 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 300m | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 17 |
| Glen | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 9 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 900m |
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
5°
|
5°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
6°
|
5°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Freezing Level |
600m
|
800m
|
1,400m
|
1,600m
|
1,700m
|
1,700m
|
1,100m
|
1,500m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
-9°
|
-8°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-9°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 300m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
3°
|
3°
|
0°
|
0°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Best conditions to be found across the eastern ranges, away from poor visibility in the west.
Weather
Contrasting conditions across the ranges, roughly split by the A9, with those in the west seeing overcast and dull conditions. In the east, cloud will be much more broken with spells of sunshine, these lengthy across the Angus and Aberdeenshire Hills. These cloud breaks will gradually fill in through evening, however.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
90% east, 20% west.
Visibility
Extensive cloud above 400-500m roughly west of the A9 bringing widely poor visibility, less than a kilometer for long periods. Cloud will be much more broken and generally above 700m across the Cairngorms with very little across the eastern ranges.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Another day of poor visibility and spells of rain or drizzle, this focussed west of the A9 with some limited shelter further east, mainly through morning. Mild for the time of year.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
40% east through morning, otherwise almost no chance.
Maximum wind speed expected
West or Southwest 25-30mph gusting 35-40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 2 or 3 Celsius.
- Glen 6 Celsius rising to 8 or 9 Celsius.
- Freezing level 1200m or above.
Visibility
Cloud will remain extensive above 400-500m, this leading to widely poor visibility. There is scope for some brightness across the Cairngorms, Angus and Aberdeenshire Hills through morning, but confidence is low for this aspect of the forecast.
Mountain weather information
Sunday 23 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
While there will be some lifting of the extensive cloud, low visibility will still be a key hazard along with gale force southwest winds. Patchy rain, drizzle and summit sleet. Freezing level 1200m or higher.
Monday 24 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
There is uncertainty over the extent of rainfall at this stage, but rain may turn persistent at least for a time, driven in on strong westerly winds. Some snowfall possible too. Low cloud remains widespread.
Tuesday 25 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Southwest winds maintaining cloudy conditions with further patchy rain and summit snow.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
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Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including South and East Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire and Angus Hills, Ben Vrackie, Ben Lawers, Loch Tay and Ochils
This weather forecast area covers much of the southern and eastern Cairngorm National Park, the Aberdeenshire hills and Angus hills and includes the Balmoral Estate, Scottish home of the Royal Family since 1852. Lochnagar, with its magnificent northern corrie, is very popular among walkers and climbers and Mount Keen is the most easterly of all Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet).
The Perthshire hills offer a rich variety of heather-clad hills and mighty pine forests. The River Tay flows 120 miles from its source to the North Sea and is the longest and largest river in Scotland. Loch Tay is a freshwater loch and at around 150 metres deep it is one of the deepest in Scotland. At 1,214 metres Ben Lawers is the highest point along the ridge near the north shore of the loch that includes seven Munros.
The Ochil Hills are a long range of steep-sided, round topped hills, stretching 25 miles from the Firth of Tay to Stirling. There are many peaks over 600 metres offering splendid views across central Scotland and to the north, with Ben Cleuch the highest at 721 metres.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service