Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for Wednesday and Thursday and for continued less cold conditions, unsettled conditions from Thursday. Low confidence in daily detail from Friday.
This evening forecast
Dry, clear periods and very cold.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Dry, bright and very cold becoming cloudy with snow from the evening.
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
00% | 00% | 00% | 00% | 00% | 00% | 20% | 40% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
SE
9
|
SE
12
|
SE
16
|
SE
24
|
SE
25
|
SE
31
|
SE
37
|
SE
47
|
| 900m |
SE
10
|
SE
12
|
SE
14
|
SE
18
|
SE
21
|
SE
24
|
SE
29
|
SE
35
|
| 600m |
E
6
|
E
6
|
E
7
|
SE
12
|
SE
19
|
SE
24
|
SE
28
|
SE
38
|
| 300m |
NE
3
|
E
3
|
E
5
|
E
8
|
E
11
|
SE
18
|
SE
22
|
SE
25
|
| Glen |
N
2
|
E
3
|
E
4
|
E
4
|
E
6
|
E
10
|
E
12
|
E
14
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 11 | 15 | 20 | 30 | 33 | 40 | 49 | 62 |
| 900m | 13 | 15 | 19 | 25 | 29 | 35 | 43 | 50 |
| 600m | 8 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 35 | 40 | 51 |
| 300m | 5 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 32 | 38 | 42 |
| Glen | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 26 | 29 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-5°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 900m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 600m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
2°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| Freezing Level |
100m
|
100m
|
0m
|
100m
|
200m
|
300m
|
300m
|
400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-10°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
-14°
|
-14°
|
-15°
|
-16°
|
-17°
|
| 900m |
-9°
|
-10°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
| Glen |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Nothing to add.
Weather
Dry, clear and very cold with fog patches forming in the glens overnight. The day will be dry, bright and very cold with high cloud. Cloud will lower in the southwest from late afternoon bringing light snow. Cloud and snow spread northeast turning heavier later. Southeast winds strengthen from late afternoon, reaching gale force across the summits.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%
Low cloud and visibility
The visibility will remain good in mostly cloud free skies through the day. Cloud 600-800m will increase from the late afternoon bringing increasing snow and lowering the visibility to very poor.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Cloudy and very windy with snow at first, drier for a time around midday. Further outbreaks of rain spread northeast from late afternoon.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30% increasing 50% for a time around midday.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southeast 45-50mph gust 65mph
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 1 Celsius
- Glen Minus 2 Celsius rising plus 3 Celsius
- Freezing level 600m in the morning, rising 1100m by the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
Broken cloud 400-600m through the morning will drop to lower slopes in rain at times from the late afternoon. The visibility will be very poor in early snow and in cloud, poor in rain otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Fri 8 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells with a few showers, dry later. Strong easterly summit wind. Freezing level 1400m.
Sat 9 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A band of cloud and rain spreads northeast, clearing in the afternoon. Strong southeasterly summit wind. Freezing level 1200m.
Sun 10 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Early showers west then dry and bright. Strong southwesterly summit wind. Freezing level 1200m.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the rest of Lochaber, Argyll including the Isles, Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Arran
The Southwest Highlands weather forecast area is an extensive area of mountains, moorland, islands and sea lochs. The area has a high density of steep and rugged Munros (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet) including the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis (1,344 metres), attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year. The 700 metre cliffs of the north face are among the highest in the UK, providing classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties for climbers and mountaineers. Glen Coe is also an iconic area for rock climbing and scrambling and includes the Aonach Eagach, an exposed and narrow ridge which stands 900m above the floor of the glen below.
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National park was the first of the two national parks in Scotland and includes Ben Lomond which is the most southerly Munro. Running past the foot of Ben Lomond is The West Highland Way which is Scotland's first long distance walking route. It stretches for 96 miles from Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William.
The Isle of Arran is in the far south of the area, often referred to as Scotland in miniature, it includes Goat Fell with its fine panoramic views and the Glen Rosa horseshoe with sections of rock scrambling.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service