Follow MountainWeather on Twitter
Follow MWIS on Facebook

The West Highlands

Contact us to feature this forecast on your website.

Support the free distribution of this forecast by visiting our sponsors website.

Select forecast - Today / Sunday / Monday

Viewing forecast for Saturday, 4th February, 2012

Forecast last reviewed on Friday, 03/02/12 at 13:29


Click here to access the PDF version of the forecast.



Summary for all mountain areas

Milder air will percolate slowly east across Britain. Freezing levels will be very varied, as in/above some, but not all valleys, strong winds (upland gales across many mountains) scour out the cold air. Most areas will have snow, heavy western Scotland.

Headline, The West Highlands

Severe upland gales. A few hours of snow.

How Windy?

Southerly, extensively 40 to for a few hours in excess of 50mph with gusts 75mph on higher western areas. In afternoon turning westerly 35 gusts 50mph.

Effect Of Wind?

Buffeting widely considerable even lower hills, and higher up, general mobility difficult for several hours. Severe wind chill.

How Wet?

Snow then rain on lower slopes.

Snow, turning to rain up to 800 to 1000m from the west in morning. Most precipitation on western and southern mountains, where there will be 2 or 3 hours of very heavy snow, giving whiteout. Improving to occasional showers in the afternoon; by dusk snow to 650m.

Cloud on the hills?

Extensive, especially south and west

Persistent cloud much of region, base 500 to 700m, but toward coastal hills at times 300m. Near and north of Glen Spean, the base often 800 to 1000m. In afternoon from wets, becoming widely 800 to 1000, and later breaks to higher tops.

Chance of cloud free Munros?

Less than 10%, later 30%

Sunshine and air clarity?

Glimpses of sun, mainly inland into the afternoon. Visibility widely poor, and extensively foggy in cloud, and near zero for periods in heavy snow.

How Cold? (at 900m)

Generally between 2 and -2C, varying through the day. Generally little temperature variation with height.

Freezing level

Poorly defined freezing level: Terrain largely frozen; but a thaw, temporarily up to 1100m, most pronounced western hills, will extend erratically inland.

Planning Outlook for all mountain areas from Sunday, 5th February, 2012

A broad area of high pressure will remain near Britain most of next week, bringing mostly light winds. Weakening fronts slowing down near the high will bring patchy rain and snow, and also areas of low cloud. The low cloud in particular will be hard to forecast, in some areas persistent to a very low level, whilst in others almost completely absent. With the air higher up often very clear, this will result in some fine days on many mountains.

Site managed, edited and copyright mwis.org.uk