Na Gruagaichean (Highland) weather

Headline:

Cloudy. Patchy drizzle west. Dry and bright spells east.

Today:

Mainly dry with some bright spells in the morning towards Inverness and Nairn, becoming cloudier in the afternoon. Cloudy towards the west coast with still the odd patch of drizzle. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Tonight:

Staying cloudy with outbreaks of drizzle in the west. Drier but still quite cloudy towards Inverness and Nairn, though some clearer spells may develop overnight. Minimum temperature 7 °C.

Friday:

Cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the east but patchy drizzle in the west. Spell of heavy rain through the afternoon and evening with strong westerly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Brighter and turning colder over the weekend with blustery showers, wintry on high ground at first, likely to lower levels on Monday. Strong west then northerly winds.

Frequent wintry showers are expected, mainly in the north and along eastern and western coasts where exposed to the strong north to northwesterly flow. Snow is likely to fall to low levels, especially in the north. Many inland areas may be largely dry with lengthy sunny spells, especially where sheltered from the flow. However, there is a risk of some more organised areas of rain and hill snow running east across more southern parts. The chance of any widespread or disruptive snowfall affecting more populated areas at this stage remains low though. Cold everywhere with overnight frost, and the strong winds will result in significant wind chill. There is a hint that it may become less cold later in the period, with more of a westerly flow becoming established.

Signals vary in prevailing weather patterns through this period but likely mainly unsettled and rather cold for the start of the period. There is a chance of more mobile weather patterns which would see Atlantic systems periodically move across the country. These will bring some wetter and windier interludes with a risk of some snow, especially for hills of the north. A trend toward less mobile weather or more settled conditions is favoured into December, although some wetter and windier interludes remain likely at times. Temperatures also trending closer to average, especially in the south.