Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

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South Grampian and Southeast Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High confidence for change in the weather over the next few days to a cold showery northerly. Medium confidence for timing of rainfall on Tuesday.

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Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

hazard 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.

hazard 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.

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.
hazard 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 hazards explained

Mountain weather forecast

A cloudy, windy day with a band of rain moving across the ranges in the late afternoon and evening.

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Severe Gale force gusts are possible on higher tops particularly when the front moves through. A marked change to a colder feel from late afternoon and a noticeable wind chill overnight.

Weather

A mainly dry start although areas of thicker cloud and fog may give some drizzly outbreaks in the morning particularly around Loch Tay and Glen Lyon. Some brighter periods are more likely in the Angus Glens and around the Aberdeenshire hills. Cloud may lower over the tops for more westerly ranges as a front approaches from the west in the afternoon. The front will move east across Scotland in the late afternoon and evening giving a spell of rain to most areas. The rain might be quite heavy for a short time. Becoming clearer later in the evening and feeling a lot colder.

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

40-50% chance in the west with cloud bases around 600-700m, further east cloud bases may be around 8-900m with some breaks in the cloud, lowering for a short time as the band of rain moves through in the afternoon.

Visibility

Visibility will generally be good in the morning out with any mist and fog but becoming moderate or poor later as drizzle and light rain arrive.

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Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

A dry day with long sunny intervals, a few lighter showers are possible however these will be generally confined to more northerly ranges. Feeling fresher than previous days.

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

90% chance of clear tops, perhaps some scattered cloud around the tops in any showers.

Maximum wind speed expected

Northwesterly 15-20mph becoming southerly 5-10mph later.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 3 Celsius.
  • Glen Plus 4 rising to 10 Celsius.
  • Freezing level Around the higher summits.

Visibility

Mainly good or very good with excellent views possible.

Mountain weather information

Thursday 24 September

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Sunset:

Some uncertainty in Thursdays forecast however it is expected to be mainly dry and cloudy with light winds initially. Later in the day a strengthening northerly is expected.

Friday 25 September

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Sunset:

A very cold day with strong northerly winds and some showers, particularly in the north and turning wintry above 800m. Some sunny intervals are likely.

Saturday 26 September

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Another cold day although northerly winds are expected to ease. Generally a bright day with sunny spells but certainly feeling cold on the hills.

Updated at:
Mountain weather explained

Includes South and East Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire and Angus hills, Ben Vrackie, Ben Lawers, Loch Tay and Ochils

The Ochil Hills are a long range of steeply 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.

Loch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands and is around 15 miles long. 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 on the north shore that includes seven Munros (mountains over 3,000 ft).

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

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