Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High for a changeable week, lower for rain timings on Wednesday and Friday

Sunrise:
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 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 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

Mainly dry with some sunny spells. Cloudier over Skye and Lochalsh. Strengthening south to southeast winds with summit gales

06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Sunny day Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
<05% <05% <05% <05% <05% 10%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m S
41
S
38
S
36
S
35
S
34
SE
34
900m S
38
S
36
S
33
S
31
S
30
SE
28
600m S
26
S
25
S
25
S
23
S
20
SE
17
300m S
1
S
2
S
5
S
4
SE
2
E
2
Glen SE
3
E
8
SE
8
SE
10
SE
9
SE
9
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m 48 45 44 43 41 41
900m 44 43 40 39 37 35
600m 34 32 33 30 28 24
300m 24 23 25 24 18 14
Glen 11 16 18 23 22 23

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
900m
600m
300m
10°
11°
10°
10°
Glen
10°
13°
14°
13°
13°
Freezing Level
1,900m
1,900m
2,000m
2,100m
2,100m
2,800m

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
-5°
-4°
-2°
-1°
900m
-4°
-3°
600m
300m
10°
10°
10°
Glen
12°
12°
11°
12°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Summit winds could be 10-15mph stronger than the table shows in some areas.

Weather

Most ranges staying dry with sunny spells. More in the way of cloud over Skye and perhaps parts of Lochalsh and Knoydart. Staying generally dry but some spots of drizzle likely over the Cuillin Range then a chance of heavier bursts in the evening in the southwest.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

90% for most ranges but 30% for Skye and 50% in Lochalsh and Knoydart.

Low cloud and visibility

Mainly good visibility with cloud well above the summits. More cloud at times over Skye, Knoydart and Lochalsh, bases 600-800m.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, some heavy with the chance of thunder, but some drier brighter spells too.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% - some clearances but not reliable

Maximum wind speed expected

South to southeast 40 gusts 60mph in the morning gradually easing 25 gusts 40 in afternoon and easing further in the evening.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 6 rising to Plus 9 Celsius
  • Glen Plus 12 rising to Plus 15 Celsius
  • Freezing level Above the summits

Low cloud and visibility

Frequent cloud at 750-900m with patches to 400m over Skye. Higher bases over Sutherland with a few breaks. Poor visibility even outwith cloud at times in heavier areas of rain.

Mountain weather information

Thu 17 Oct

Sunrise:
Sunset:

A brighter day with some sunny spells and lighter south to southwesterly winds. Perhaps a few showers in west later.

Fri 18 Oct

Sunrise:
Sunset:

A dry start then cloudy with spells of rain, hill fog and south to southwesterly gales. Probably brightening up later. Low confidence regarding onset and cessation of rain.

Sat 19 Oct

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Brighter again with some sunshine, perhaps a few showers, less windy. Freezing levels lowering a little but probably staying above the summits.

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