Southern Uplands
The Galloway hills eastward to the Lammermuir hills. The Cheviots (including higher hills within the adjacent Northumberland NP).
Thursday's Forecast
Windy, walking impeded
Blustery conditions enough to give buffeting on higher terrain or affect balance on exposed ridges. 25 to 40mph.
Snow flurries
Occasional light snow flurries, sleet or rain lower elevations. Amounts little more than nuisance value, but locally more persistent and reducing visibility for periods.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
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Windy, walking impeded
Blustery conditions enough to give buffeting on higher terrain or affect balance on exposed ridges. 25 to 40mph.
Snow flurries
Occasional light snow flurries, sleet or rain lower elevations. Amounts little more than nuisance value, but locally more persistent and reducing visibility for periods.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
Viewing Forecast For
Southern Uplands
Thursday 29th January 2026
Last updated
Wed 28th Jan 26 at
4:11PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Freezing temperatures in Scotland and England; freezing level lowering with time to middle slopes, first in eastern hill groups. Blustery as well, gale force gusts on high terrain of Scotland and Wales. Snow flurries affecting eastern Scotland and the Pennines, mostly dry Lakeland to west Scottish Highlands.
Headline for Southern Uplands
Blustery; snow flurries east, bright morning west
How windy? (On the summits)
Southeasterly 25 to 30mph, soon strengthening, most significantly in the west, sustained speeds of 40mph over high tops by dusk. A slight easterly shift with time.
Effect of the wind on you?
Strenuous walking increasingly arduous on high terrain in the west, buffeting gusts in places not just on tops. Considerable wind chill.
How Wet?
Patchy flurries eastern hills
Occasional light snow flurries Borders and Cheviots, sleet or rain below 400-500m. Very little if any toward and west of M74, though later in the day, some very light snow flurries may reach the Moffat hills.
Cloud on the hills?
Most persistent east, breaks west for a time
Cloud banks often covering eastern hills above 500-600m. Higher base westward, breaks to tops in Galloway for a time, more likely shrouded in the afternoon.
Chance of cloud free summits?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Cloudy in east, hazy and poor visibility if in snow. Some sun breaking through in west in the morning, where visibility mostly good.
How Cold? (at 750m)
0 or -1C to start the day, coolest in the east. Lowering with time to -2 or -3C into nighttime. Wind chill feeling like -10 to -12C.
Freezing Level
700-800m to start the day, lowering to 400-500m with time.
Viewing Forecast For
Southern Uplands
Friday 30th January 2026
Last updated
Wed 28th Jan 26 at
4:11PM
How windy? (On the summits)
Southeasterly 30 to 40mph, in places gusty 40mph around some higher tops. A risk of more powerful winds west afternoon.
Effect of the wind on you?
Strenuous walking, arduous in exposure and elevated passes where buffeting will challenge balance. Significant wind chill.
How Wet?
Hill snow and rain mostly south
Risk of frequent or more persistent rain from dawn near Solway, snow above 400m, later 600m. Patchier east to start, but becoming more frequent with time.
Cloud on the hills?
Fairly extensive
Shrouding most higher terrain, local variations, best of any breaks above 600m further toward north and northwest.
Chance of cloud free summits?
20%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Mostly cloudy, dull, poor visibility over hills; risk whiteout if in cloud and snow. Locally brighter toward the north.
How Cold? (at 750m)
-2C, rising to 0C or locally just above in the west. Wind chill feeling like -10 to -13C.
Freezing Level
500m rising variably to 700-800m afternoon onward.
Viewing Forecast For
Southern Uplands
Saturday 31st January 2026
Last updated
Wed 28th Jan 26 at
4:11PM
How windy? (On the summits)
Detail uncertain: starting easterly 25-35mph, though risk stronger. Trending lighter and may become variable.
Effect of the wind on you?
Strenuous walking in exposure with significant wind chill to start the day; effects tending to ease, though timing uncertain.
How Wet?
Often raining, most east
More often raining than not on hills near and east of the M74. Rain patchier to the west, most frequent on southern Galloway hills.
Cloud on the hills?
Most in the east, breaks to tops west
High terrain around and east of the M74 stays in cloud most of the day, bases as low as 600m in rain. Best breaks west, perhaps briefly off tops, though returning, with lowest bases on south Galloway slopes.
Chance of cloud free summits?
20% east, to 40% west
Sunshine and air clarity?
A few bright/sunny glimpses but often cloudy. Mixed visibility east, at times poor, better west, but also hazy.
How Cold? (at 750m)
1 or 2C, though starting locally near to 0C. Feeling like -10C in direct wind.
Freezing Level
800m to start the day, lifting to the high summits or just above.
Planning Outlook
Slow-moving weather patterns and a broadly similar regime to recent times over the next week or so: periods of precipitation will affect most mountains at least every few days. Scottish Munros generally below freezing point, with snow cover and drifts most substantial from the Cairngorms to central and southern Highlands, some additional falls in the week ahead (with continued flooding risk too); much less northwestward. Hills in England and Wales will see varying freezing levels, at times dropping sub-zero to middle slopes, but largely isolated to the high terrain of Lakeland and Eryri NP (Snowdonia). Wind speed will vary, some periods of lower speeds than recently, though gusty SE'ly winds remain common in the Highlands. Scope for widely colder conditions toward mid February.