Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
A very unsettled period of weather with high confidence for frequent gales. Low pressure systems will provide spells of wet weather throughout the period with particular emphasis on heavy rain later on Sunday and Wednesday.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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.
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.
Storm Force Winds
Storm force winds (gusts over 70mph) make walking very strenuous with any mobility virtually impossible over exposed ground. Where these conditions occur there is a high risk of being blown over and even standing may be impossible at times with a risk of being blown off one’s feet. Basic tasks such as using a map, eating, putting on extra clothing or communication become extremely difficult away from any shelter.
Mountain weather forecast
Windy, summit gales at times, dull morning, persistent rain in the afternoon.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
30% | 20% | 30% | 80% | 90% | >95% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
S
31
|
S
37
|
S
43
|
S
38
|
S
38
|
SW
41
|
| 900m |
S
18
|
S
25
|
S
30
|
S
26
|
S
27
|
SW
29
|
| 600m |
S
25
|
S
33
|
S
37
|
S
33
|
S
34
|
SW
32
|
| 300m |
S
11
|
S
16
|
S
19
|
S
17
|
SE
19
|
S
19
|
| Glen |
SW
6
|
W
4
|
S
13
|
S
10
|
S
12
|
SW
17
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 37 | 46 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 56 |
| 900m | 26 | 34 | 42 | 37 | 40 | 44 |
| 600m | 29 | 40 | 48 | 44 | 46 | 46 |
| 300m | 17 | 24 | 29 | 26 | 33 | 30 |
| Glen | 11 | 8 | 29 | 25 | 31 | 35 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
7°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
| 900m |
8°
|
9°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
9°
|
| 600m |
12°
|
12°
|
12°
|
13°
|
13°
|
11°
|
| 300m |
13°
|
14°
|
14°
|
15°
|
15°
|
13°
|
| Glen |
13°
|
15°
|
16°
|
16°
|
16°
|
15°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,200m
|
2,600m
|
2,800m
|
2,800m
|
2,800m
|
2,600m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
0°
|
| 900m |
4°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| 600m |
8°
|
7°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| 300m |
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
12°
|
11°
|
10°
|
| Glen |
12°
|
15°
|
14°
|
15°
|
14°
|
12°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Feeling chilly on Sunday morning with rain and gale force winds adding to the wind chill effect. Although winds ease for a time they will steadily increase during the afternoon and gusts of over 60-70mph will not be a surprise on Ben Nevis with atrocious conditions expected in heavy rain later in the day.
Weather
Ranfall overnight will die out towards dawn, strong southeasterly winds will also ease for a time during the morning. Likely to be cloudy and dull during the morning, perhaps some drizzle around hills in the west, some drier and brighter conditions to be found towards the east of the area but will be short lived. An area of persistent and heavy rain will move across the area during the afternoon and evening. The rain will be accompanied by southerly gales, severe gales for the high Lochaber peaks.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30% early in the day, improving to 50% for a time then dropping to 20% during the afternoon.
Low cloud and visibility
Extensive low cloud overnight. Cloud layers will lift during the morning towards the summits and become more scattered but this is will be short lived. Cloud will thicken and lower during the afternoon, broken layers of cloud above 300m can be expected. Visibility during the morning will be moderate, although poor in periods of drizzle in the west. During the afternoon and evening visibility will be poor in persistent and often heavy rain.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Rain clearing overnight and some clear spells developing. A bright start on Monday with some sunny spells possible but showers developing. Strong Southwesterly winds, summit gales accompanying showers.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% chance of cloud free summits.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 30-35 mph with gusts 45 mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 8 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 10 rising to 15 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above all summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Scattered low cloud above 600m during the day, thickening around heavier showers. Visibility outwith showers will be good, becoming moderate in showers.
Mountain weather information
Tue 26 Sep
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Remaining windy with southwesterly gales on the summits, a period of rain during the day is likely.
Wed 27 Sep
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Further strong southerly winds, perhaps gales or severe gales, and a wet afternoon likely.
Thu 28 Sep
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Strong southwesterly winds continuing, showers or longer spells of rain.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the rest of Lochaber, Argyll including the Isles, Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Arran
The Southwest Highlands weather forecast area is an extensive area of mountains, moorland, islands and sea lochs. The area has a high density of steep and rugged Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet) including the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis (1,344 metres), attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year. The 700 metre cliffs of the north face are among the highest in the UK, providing classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties for climbers and mountaineers. Glen Coe is also an iconic area for rock climbing and scrambling and includes the Aonach Eagach, an exposed and narrow ridge which stands 900m above the floor of the glen below.
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National park was the first of the two national parks in Scotland and includes Ben Lomond which is the most southerly Munro. Running past the foot of Ben Lomond is The West Highland Way which is Scotland's first long distance walking route. It stretches for 96 miles from Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William.
The Isle of Arran is in the far south of the area, often referred to as Scotland in miniature, it includes Goat Fell with its fine panoramic views and the Glen Rosa horseshoe with sections of rock scrambling.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service