West Highlands
Western Highlands accessible from, and south of, Glenfinnan (Road to the Isles) and Glen Spean (includes Creag Meagaidh). This area includes Ben Nevis and the mountains around Glencoe. In the east, from Ben Alder south to Loch Lomond and Trossachs NP. Also Arran and Mull.
Tuesday's Forecast
Light wind, negligible impact
Little wind or walking hardly affected by the wind, but feeling chilly if exposed on tops. 10-15mph or less.
Winter sunshine
Bright sunshine most of the day with the mountains generally free of cloud. Snow cover on higher terrain.
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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Light wind, negligible impact
Little wind or walking hardly affected by the wind, but feeling chilly if exposed on tops. 10-15mph or less.
Winter sunshine
Bright sunshine most of the day with the mountains generally free of cloud. Snow cover on higher terrain.
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
West Highlands
Tuesday 30th December 2025
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Quiet but chilly conditions, light winds and plenty of sunshine for much of the Highlands, much terrain frozen, sub-zero all day over hills and in some glens. A cold east-northeasterly breeze England and Wales, strongest toward south; fairly cloudy, locally an odd snow flurry over the Pennines.
Headline for West Highlands
Cold, but wind generally light. Sunshine, hills mostly clear.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Northerly or variable, 5 to 10mph or less, increasingly a little toward and beyond dusk, 15-20mph in places.
Effect of the wind on you?
Small most of daylight.
How Wet?
Dry all day
Cloud on the hills?
Mostly very little, other than patches
Other than ragged patches, or a few banks along western coastal hills, generally very little cloud is expected on the hills.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
80%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Patchy cloud and sunshine. Visibility excellent.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-2C. Wind chill by dusk may feel like -7 to -10C.
Freezing Level
Terrain frozen from lower slopes upwards, with frost into the glens in morning.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Wednesday 31st December 2025
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly 20 to 30mph, increasing through day to 30 to 40mph.
Effect of the wind on you?
Be prepared for increasingly fairly arduous conditions through the day with significant buffeting and wind chill.
How Wet?
Patchy rain or upper slopes snow
Mostly dry start, bar an isolated flurry, but increasingly through day patchy precipitation developing. Snow falling above around 500-800m.
Cloud on the hills?
Extensive
Soon after dawn low cloud becoming extensive and increasingly to lower slopes toward west coast.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Increasingly overcast. Becoming increasingly misty and murky, with poor visibility in precipitation.
How Cold? (at 900m)
Around or just below 0C. Feeling like-10C, later -15C in the strongest winds.
Freezing Level
Freezing at all levels at first, before freezing level rises through day to 700-900m.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Thursday 1st January 2026
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Northwesterly 35 to 50mph, squally gusts in showers.
Effect of the wind on you?
Frequent buffeting, walking often arduous on higher terrain. Significant wind chill, severe higher up.
How Wet?
Occasional snow and hail
Showers most frequent near coasts and sometimes inland across Lochaber, falling as snow and hail to many lower slopes, though a mix of rain and hail on islands below 600m. Drier Loch Lomond NP.
Cloud on the hills?
Most frequent north and coasts
Cloud base varying, but often capping higher slopes in Lochaber and near coasts, bases 700-1000m. Breaks higher up most often toward and south of Crianlarich.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
40%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Occasional sun, best near Loch Lomond. Visibility often very good, but reduced to very poor at times in snow and cloud.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-3C (-5C Ben Nevis top), to -1C coasts, dropping widely to -5C into night. Wind chill feeling like -15C, near -20C highest tops.
Freezing Level
500 to 600m, up to 700m toward Arran. Some inland glens near freezing all day, then into night dropping to all lower slopes.
Planning Outlook
Significantly cold wintry conditions into the start of January. Air temperature well below freezing on high terrain, plus low minima into many glens and valleys with sustained hard frost. Strong northerly winds later this week giving severe wind chill. Frequent and heavy snow showers moving into northern areas and running down coastal extremities with significant accumulations. Elsewhere, lots of dry and sunny weather, although occasional organised bands of snow will feed south at times in the Arctic airflow. Staying cold into next week with scope for snowfalls more widely.