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.
Wednesday's Forecast
Gale force, walking arduous
Considerable buffeting, walking into the wind will be strenuous on exposed terrain, stronger gusts may knock you off your feet. 40 to 55mph.
Snow and hail showers
Periods of bright or sunny conditions mixed with showers or flurries of snow and hail. Visibility may change rapidly from excellent to very poor.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
Winter kit required on higher terrain
Snow cover over higher mountains. Safe progress over some terrain will require suitable footwear - possibly crampons and ice-axe where necessary.
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Gale force, walking arduous
Considerable buffeting, walking into the wind will be strenuous on exposed terrain, stronger gusts may knock you off your feet. 40 to 55mph.
Snow and hail showers
Periods of bright or sunny conditions mixed with showers or flurries of snow and hail. Visibility may change rapidly from excellent to very poor.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
Winter kit required on higher terrain
Snow cover over higher mountains. Safe progress over some terrain will require suitable footwear - possibly crampons and ice-axe where necessary.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Wednesday 11th March 2026
Last updated
Tue 10th Mar 26 at
4:00PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Cold strong westerly winds, gales over Scottish mountains and more widely early in day, significant chill factor over mountains. Showery snow and hail most frequent W & NW Highlands, more scattered elsewhere. Cloud base varying, occasional sun.
Headline for West Highlands
Upland gales, strongest early and late. Snow & hail showers.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly up to 60mph post dawn; dropping to 35-45mph middle of day, strongest Lochaber, squally gusts around showers. Increasing again evening-night, reaching 80mph, stronger gusts.
Effect of the wind on you?
Expect significant wind chill and walking - sometimes any mobility - to be difficult across the hills, particularly near precipitation. Deteriorating to stormy conditions into night.
How Wet?
Frequent hail and snow
Particularly morning, succession of sudden hail and above 600m snow showers. Sometimes whiteout will occur. Onward into evening, more prolonged rain, snow becoming confined higher up.
Cloud on the hills?
Persistently covering higher areas; rapid variation in cloud base.
In precipitation, cloud forming below 300 to 500m (generally lowest morning near the coast). Otherwise, by midday (as average cloud base tends to rise) between 600 and 1000m, highest well inland.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
20%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Bursts of sunshine, mainly afternoon lower slopes well inland. Very varied visibility: general haze, but abruptly appalling in precipitation.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-1C during day, then up to +2C after dark. Will feel like -15C directly in the wind.
Freezing Level
750m, then rising into evening, briefly toward 1100-1200m into night.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Thursday 12th March 2026
Last updated
Tue 10th Mar 26 at
4:00PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Southwesterly 50 to 70mph, tending to decrease a little during afternoon.
Effect of the wind on you?
Difficult conditions, mobility challenging over exposed terrain from mid-elevations upward. Severe wind chill.
How Wet?
Early rain, then showery snow and hail
Heavy rain to upper slopes from before dawn finishing as snow as low as 700m. Then a succession of showers, of snow above 600m, frequent Lochaber to Mull, often heavy, hail, risk thunder.
Cloud on the hills?
Extensive higher slopes, breaks north with time
Covering most higher terrain terrain all day, though cloud base varying in and out of heavier precipitation, some banks of cloud to below 600m, brief breaks above 1000m. An increasing chance of breaks north later.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Brief glimpses of sun mostly north into afternoon where visibility very good when dry, but at times very poor in snow and cloud; general haze near coast.
How Cold? (at 900m)
0C or above at dawn, lowering, -2C evening, further lowering overnight. Wind chill feeling like -15 to -18C.
Freezing Level
1000m or above up to dawn (highest in the south), soon lowering to 800m, later in day nearer 600m.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Friday 13th March 2026
Last updated
Tue 10th Mar 26 at
4:00PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly 35 to 45mph, squally gusts around showers. Risk 50-60mph up to dawn.
Effect of the wind on you?
Challenging walking conditions over the mountains, considerable buffeting and severe wind chill.
How Wet?
Frequent hail and snow; risk thunder
Showers with hail merging into periods of constant precipitation mainly western mountains; also snow falling toward lower elevations in morning, then mostly rain below 400-500m. Risk isolated lightning.
Cloud on the hills?
Varying over tops
Cloud base frequently changing: at times shafts of cloud to 600m or lower near coast and islands, often capping western mountains above 800m, but some breaks to 1000m, more often well inland.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Brief bursts of sun, most often well inland. Visibility varying between intermittently very good, and at least briefly appalling when in snow/hail and cloud.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-3C, lifting slightly, to -1C coastal tops. Feeling like -15 to -18C directly in the wind.
Freezing Level
Near freezing from lower slopes up at first inland, becoming typically 700m by early afternoon.
Planning Outlook
Generally unsettled onward into the upcoming weekend and start of next week as low pressure systems pass near and north of Britain - strong west or southwesterly winds prevail, often gale-force to at times storm-force over the mountains. Some fluctuation of temperature and freezing level, but mostly below freezing over Scottish mountains, at times snow falling to lower elevations. Colder for all by the end of this week with widely lowering freezing level by Friday. Frequent precipitation most western mountains, accumulations of snow across the mountains, most substantial in western Scotland from Glencoe northwards. Quieter weather patterns indicated beyond mid-month as higher pressure builds.