Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in reasonable albeit windy conditions on Sunday. Low confidence on Monday regarding risk and extent of cloud and showers.
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
Mist and fog in glens but largely clear of cloud above. Strong winds on tops.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
SE
27
|
SE
29
|
SE
31
|
SE
28
|
SE
29
|
SE
30
|
| 900m |
SE
25
|
SE
25
|
SE
27
|
SE
23
|
SE
26
|
SE
27
|
| 600m |
SE
15
|
SE
17
|
SE
16
|
SE
14
|
SE
16
|
SE
16
|
| 300m |
SE
1
|
SE
1
|
SE
1
|
E
1
|
SE
1
|
SE
2
|
| Glen |
E
6
|
E
9
|
E
8
|
E
9
|
E
9
|
E
8
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 31 | 33 | 36 | 32 | 34 | 34 |
| 900m | 28 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 31 | 31 |
| 600m | 18 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 |
| 300m | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Glen | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| 900m |
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
1°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-7°
|
-7°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Gusts of 35-40mph on exposed higher level terrain will make for fairly arduous walking. Also note the significant windchill.
Weather
Mist and fog in glens perhaps lingering through the day, but largely clear of cloud on tops with some sunny spells. Patchy cloud occasionally becoming extensive for Skye at times.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70%.
Low cloud and visibility
Very good visibility above low level mist and fog. A few patches of cloud around summit levels, mainly for Skye but clear tops towards Caithness and Sutherland.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Early morning mist and fog patches in glens. Otherwise a dry day with bright or sunny spells. A few patches of hill fog are possible alongside the odd shower. Cloud perhaps becoming extensive on the west coast towards the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% decreasing to 30% later.
Maximum wind speed expected
20-25mph gusting 35mph on summits and ridges.
Temperature
- At 800m Zero Celsius.
- Glen Plus 1 rising 5 Celsius.
- Freezing level 800m
Low cloud and visibility
Good visibility above low level fog patches. The odd patch of cloud around summits will tend to clear through daytime, however cloud will tend to increase on the west coast later.
Mountain weather information
Tue 20 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain, snow above 1200m. Strong to gale force winds on summits.
Wed 21 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Windy with gales or severe gales on summits and ridges. Rain occasionally heavy, snow above 1000m.
Thu 22 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Another windy day with severe gales on summits. Rain occasionally heavy, snow above 1000m.
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