West Highlands Forecast
Western Highlands accessible from, and south of, Glenfinnan (Road to the Isles) and Glen Spean (includes Creag Meagaidh). This area include Ben Nevis and the mountains around Glencoe. In the east, includes Ben Alder south to Loch Lomond and Trossachs NP. Includes Arran and Mull.
Viewing Weather Forecast for Wednesday 23rd January 2019
Forecast last updated on Tuesday 22nd January 2019 at 2:20pm
Click here to access the PDF version of the forecast.
Click here to view low graphics format of the forecast.Summary for all mountain areas
A cold but generally dry and sunny day for many areas. Terrain widely frozen from valleys upward following some very low night temperatures. Local snow showers or flurries, focused around western coastal hills. Fragments of cloud on some higher slopes. The air very clear.
Headline for West Highlands
Coastal snow flurries. Terrain frozen. Wind fairly light.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly typically 15mph, but briefly 20-25mph near showers.
Effect of wind on you?
Small.
How Wet? (Precipitation and its impact)
Snow showers or flurries mostly near west coast
Snow and hail showers, most frequent hills nearest the west coast, locally frequent over an hour or more - risk of temporary whiteout. Very few only brief showers inland from Loch Linnhe, and substantially dry central highlands/Loch Lomond NP. Snow lying into the glens.
Cloud on the hills?
Often capping higher western areas, breaks inland
Cloud base varied: Toward the coast patches of cloud frequently shrouding areas above 750m and briefly below 500m. Well inland and much of Loch Lomond NP, rarely below 800m, with frequent breaks, often substantial to higher tops.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30% west; 60% inland.
Sunshine?
Air clarity (below cloud)
Bursts of sunshine western hills; patchwork of sun well inland. The air extremely clear, although abruptly very poor visibility in snow.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-4C. Where exposed to wind, feeling close to -12C.
Freezing Level
Almost all terrain frozen from glens up. Partial thawing lowest coastal areas and elsewhere on some lower sunlit slopes.
Planning Outlook
All mountain areas of Britain from Thursday 24th January 2019
Cold conditions are expected to prevail across the mountains over the next week or fortnight - perhaps longer. Mountain temperatures will frequently be sub-freezing, often to lower slopes in Scotland. Wind speeds very varied day-to-day, at times up to gale force with severe chill factor. Over the next 5 days or so, winds will be mostly from the west or northwest, allowing briefly less cold air to affect England & Wales in particular. Whilst there is some uncertainty, indications into next week favour a cyclonic situation, with areas of precipitation circling around a broad area of low pressure, with scope for locally substantial snowfalls on the mountains. A northeasterly flow may well emerge for a few days.
