Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

Low for extent of cloud on Friday afternoon. High for Saturday. High for mostly dry weather developing on Sunday and early next week.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

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.

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 Strong Sunlight
Harmful UV levels from sunlight increase with altitude giving a greater risk of sunburn and eye damage, even on some overcast days. On breezy days, the cooling effect of wind on exposed skin may disguise any feeling of sunburn until it is too late. If there is snow cover, glare increases the effect of UV rays especially on the eyes. It is advisable to wear sun block, protective clothing such as a long-sleeved top and hat and have good quality eye protection.

Mountain weather forecast

Cloudy start with patchy sleet and snow, drier and brighter by afternoon

06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Sleet Sleet Cloudy Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
50% 30% 20% 20% 20% 20%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m NE
12
SE
4
SW
15
SW
21
S
19
S
19
900m NE
7
SE
3
SW
12
SW
16
S
14
S
14
600m W
2
SW
2
SW
10
SW
12
S
8
S
8
300m N
5
W
4
SW
8
W
8
S
5
SE
3
Glen NW
2
SW
3
SW
6
SW
10
S
5
E
3
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m 15 5 21 27 25 24
900m 10 4 17 22 19 19
600m 7 3 17 20 17 16
300m 13 6 14 16 12 9
Glen 8 4 12 18 14 5

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m
-2°
-2°
-1°
-1°
-1°
-2°
900m
-1°
600m
300m
Glen
Freezing Level
700m
800m
900m
1,000m
1,000m
1,000m

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m
-8°
-4°
-7°
-8°
-7°
-8°
900m
-4°
-2°
-4°
-4°
-4°
-5°
600m
-1°
-2°
300m
Glen

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Notable wind chill expected in the brisk higher summit winds

Weather

Cloudy for most of the morning with some patchy sleet and snow at first. This dying out through the morning to leave the rest of the day largely dry with sunny intervals for the afternoon with just the odd light snow shower.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

70%, but 30% in the far west

Low cloud and visibility

Poor at first in any snow and widespread low cloud down to 400 to 700 metres. Much improved visibility with good air clarity by afternoon with patchy cloud above 800 metres.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Cloudy start, then bright with a few sleet and rain showers with snow confined to the higher tops by afternoon.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%

Maximum wind speed expected

Southerly average speeds of 15 mph

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 2 Celsius
  • Glen 0 rising to 10 Celsius
  • Freezing level 1000 to 1200 metres

Low cloud and visibility

Mostly very good visibility outside of cloud and showers. Areas of cloud down to 500 metres at first, and 750 metres as showers run through.

Mountain weather information

Sun 31 Mar

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Misty low cloud at first, mostly burning off but lingering across the Angus hills. Freezing level 1200 metres.

Mon 1 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Low cloud lifting and breaking in the morning. Otherwise dry with sunny spells. Freezing level 900 metres.

Tue 2 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Dry, cold and settled with variable amounts of cloud. Freezing level 600 metres.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

Loading map…

This weather forecast area covers much of the southern and eastern Cairngorm National Park, the Aberdeenshire hills and Angus hills and includes the Balmoral Estate, Scottish home of the Royal Family since 1852. Lochnagar, with its magnificent northern corrie, is very popular among walkers and climbers and Mount Keen is the most easterly of all Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet).

The Perthshire hills offer a rich variety of heather-clad hills and mighty pine forests. The River Tay flows 120 miles from its source to the North Sea and is the longest and largest river in Scotland. Loch Tay is a freshwater loch and at around 150 metres deep it is one of the deepest in Scotland. At 1,214 metres Ben Lawers is the highest point along the ridge near the north shore of the loch that includes seven Munros.

The Ochil Hills are a long range of steep-sided, round topped hills, stretching 25 miles from the Firth of Tay to Stirling. There are many peaks over 600 metres offering splendid views across central Scotland and to the north, with Ben Cleuch the highest at 721 metres.

For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service