Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Generally high, lower for detail of showers. Low by Wednesday with rain arriving from the west.
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.
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
Early cloud clearing to a mostly dry day with sunny spells.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
30% | 30% | 20% | 20% | 30% | 20% |
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
|
SW
33
|
SW
29
|
SW
26
|
SW
26
|
SW
29
|
| 900m |
S
32
|
SW
30
|
SW
25
|
SW
23
|
SW
22
|
SW
25
|
| 600m |
W
13
|
SW
18
|
SW
18
|
SW
17
|
SW
13
|
SW
14
|
| 300m |
S
2
|
SW
8
|
SW
12
|
SW
11
|
SW
7
|
S
7
|
| Glen |
SW
3
|
SW
4
|
SW
6
|
SW
6
|
SW
4
|
SW
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 40 | 44 | 39 | 36 | 36 | 40 |
| 900m | 38 | 38 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 32 |
| 600m | 17 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 22 |
| 300m | 5 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 20 |
| Glen | 19 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 17 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| 900m |
10°
|
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| 600m |
11°
|
11°
|
10°
|
11°
|
9°
|
9°
|
| 300m |
11°
|
13°
|
13°
|
14°
|
11°
|
10°
|
| Glen |
11°
|
13°
|
15°
|
15°
|
11°
|
9°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,400m
|
2,100m
|
1,800m
|
1,600m
|
1,600m
|
1,700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 900m |
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
4°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| 600m |
9°
|
8°
|
7°
|
8°
|
6°
|
5°
|
| 300m |
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
9°
|
8°
|
| Glen |
10°
|
12°
|
13°
|
13°
|
11°
|
9°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Be aware of strong winds, particularly at height.
Weather
Light and patchy overnight rain clearing during the early hours. Some cloud lingering behind but breaking up during the morning. Sunny spells for much of the rest of the day, low chance of a shower.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20% increasing to 90% early morning
Low cloud and visibility
Broken cloud base 500-700m at first, breaking up early Sunday morning. Few cloud base 700-800m perhaps lingering during the morning. Visibility moderate in rain, otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Sunny spells and scattered showers throughout the day, showers most likely in the west with the best of the sunshine in the north.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 15-20mph gusting 30mph during the afternoon.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 3 to 5 Celsius
- Glen Plus 10 rising to plus 13 Celsius
- Freezing level Above summits
Low cloud and visibility
Visibility moderate in showers, otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Tue 3 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Sunshine and scattered showers, heavy at times. Strong westerly winds.
Wed 4 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Showers and chance of more persistent rain for a time. Strong west to southwesterly winds.
Thu 5 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A few early showers then dry for most of the day. Rain is likely to extend northeast later in the day.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Includes the northern and western Cairngorms National Park, Monadhliath, Ben Alder, Creag Meagaidh, Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch.
The North Grampian mountain weather forecast area includes much of the Cairngorms National Park which boasts five of the UK's six highest mountains and includes the largest areas of land in the UK above 2000 and 3000 feet. The Cairngorm Plateau is well-known for its extreme and very changeable weather (the strongest gust ever recorded in the UK was 173mph on Cairngorm Summit on 20th March 1986). Despite the challenging conditions, there is a diverse range of wildlife in the area including golden eagles, snow bunting and ptarmigan.
Creag Meagaidh, to the north of Glen Spean, is where the east Highlands meet the west Highlands and is often exposed to bad weather from either direction. It is a popular area for ice climbing thanks to its vast plateau which includes five Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet).
Ben Alder lies just to the west of Loch Ericht and is one of the remotest of the Munros. Approaches are long from all directions with options including a long walk or cycle from Dalwhinnie to the northeast or by taking a train to the very remote Corrour Station and walking in from the southwest.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service