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
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.
Poor visibility
Murky conditions with areas of fog shrouding the hills, making navigation challenging. Map and compass essential.
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.
Poor visibility
Murky conditions with areas of fog shrouding the hills, making navigation challenging. Map and compass essential.
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
Wednesday 31st December 2025
Last updated
Tue 30th Dec 25 at
4:28PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Much terrain frozen, frost into valleys and glens in the morning, all day out of sunlight, but temperature and freezing level tending to lift toward 800m from west. Showery rain and hill snow moving into W-NW Scotland. Wind strengthening, becoming gales over tops in Scotland during day, then N England after dark.
Headline for West Highlands
Increasingly windy, gales later tops. Showers develop, hill snow.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly 20 to 30mph, increasing through day to 30 to 40mph, by evening 50mph higher mountains. Turning northwesterly but remaining 40-50mph onward into night.
Effect of the wind on you?
Be prepared for increasingly fairly arduous conditions through the day with significant buffeting and wind chill.
How Wet?
Developing 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 later 800m. Frequent rain and hill snow during evening hours, some persistent, breaking up into showers with hail beyond midnight.
Cloud on the hills?
Increasingly extensive
Soon after dawn low cloud becoming extensive across western hills, filling in above 700-900m, some patches forming below 500m nearest coast and on islands. Higher and more broken cloud inland in morning, some mist in glens.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Increasingly overcast. Becoming hazier, with poor visibility in precipitation.
How Cold? (at 900m)
0 or -1C; will then drop to -3C into night. Feeling like-10C, later -15C in the strongest winds during day.
Freezing Level
Freezing at all levels in the morning, well below zero inland glens, before freezing level rises through day to 700-900m, then into night dropping to 500-600m.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Thursday 1st January 2026
Last updated
Tue 30th Dec 25 at
4:28PM
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.
Viewing Forecast For
West Highlands
Friday 2nd January 2026
Last updated
Tue 30th Dec 25 at
4:28PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Northerly 30 to 40mph, squally gusts in showers, mainly coastal areas.
Effect of the wind on you?
Severe wind chill over the mountains. Frequent buffeting in exposure on higher terrain.
How Wet?
Snow and hail coasts and north
Frequent showers running southward over coastal areas, some showers inland mainly Lochaber; snow and hail falling and accumulating to sea level. Drier Loch Lomond NP to central highlands.
Cloud on the hills?
Mostly coastal tops and Ben Nevis
Varying cloud bases over coastal hills above 700-900m, briefly lower in showers. Also often capping tops in Lochaber above 800-1000m. Better breaks southward.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30% Lochaber/coasts, to 60% south.
Sunshine and air clarity?
Bursts of sunshine, sunniest Loch Lomond. Visibility excellent away from showers, but very poor where snow falls or blows around and also if in cloud.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-5C (to -8C at 1200-1300m). Wind chill feeling like -15 to -20C on tops.
Freezing Level
Most terrain frozen, sub-zero all day glens upward. Just above freezing up to 300-400m nearest the coast and on islands.
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.