The weather in the Scottish Hills is fickle and dangerous. The weather forecast is all too often overtaken by events as the "high" and "low" of the weather systems in the North Atlantic and over Scandinavia determine the flow of air over the hills.In summer the consequences can be uncomfortable but in winter they can all to easily become disastrous. Checking the weather forecasts and planning one's activities accordingly is crucial to survival. The changing mood and light in the hills is, however, one of their chills and there is nothing quite like the clouds suddenly lifting to reveal a vista of snow-covered hills stretching for miles into the distance.
Ensure you know the high level (mountain) forecast for the area you are visiting. The weather can change rapidly. Remember, the weather at 2000 or 3000 feet can be far worse than at road level. The temperature falls roughly 1 Celsius degree for every 600 feet climbed, and the land mass can act to bring the temperature down further if there is snow and ice cover. Wind-chill will reduce the effective temperature considerably further. The height of the snow line is one way to judge how cold it is likely to be on the hill tops.
WIND CHILL
Approximate equivalent temperatures on exposed skin
| Wind speed (mph) | Air Temperature (degrees Celsius) | |||||||
| +4 | +2 | 0 | -2 | -4 | -6 | -8 | -10 | |
| 6 | +2 | -1 | -3 | -5 | -7 | -9 | -11 | -13 |
| 11 | -3 | -6 | -8 | -11 | -13 | -16 | -18 | -21 |
| 17 | -6 | -9 | -12 | -15 | -18 | -20 | -23 | -26 |
| 23 | -9 | -12 | -15 | -18 | -21 | -24 | -27 | -30 |
| 34 | -12 | -16 | -19 | -22 | -25 | -28 | -31 | -34 |
| 40 | -13 | -16 | -19 | -22 | -26 | -29 | -32 | -35 |
| Wind Chill Temp(C) | +10 to 0 | 0 to -10 | -10 to 15 | -15 to -25 | -25 and Colder |
| Sensation | Very Cool | Cold | Very Cold | Bitter cold | Freezing cold |
Wind speeds above 40 m.p.h need to be treated with great respect. When the wind reaches this level you will have to bend into the wind to stay upright and it will begin to effect your speed and your direction and in this way interfere with navigation. Gusts at 70-100 m.p.h can blow you over. When winds of this magnitude are forecast it is better to plan to stay lower and select routes on the lee side of ridges so they can come between you and the wind and help provide shelter. If it is snowing you need to balance the shelter with the higher risk of avalanches .
Regular general weather forecasts are available with avalanche reports on local and national radio and from a number of web addresses.
Access to the Scottish Avalanche Information Service latest reports for all the different hill areas .
Five day weather forecasts for all Scotland with specific mountain forecasts for the East and West Highlands
Twelve and twenty four hour forecasts from the BBC Weather service
Met office three day forecasts by region.The Met Office also offers a weather service for hillwalkers and mountaineers. Information is available via the Faxback service on the same numbers
| West Highlands: | Trossachs, Argyll, Lochaber, NW Highlands and Skye - | 0891 500 441 |
| East Highlands: | Cairngorms and the Grampians East of Rannoch Moor - | 0891 500 442 |
| (calls cost 39p/min cheap rate, 49p/min at all other times) | ||
Currrent snow conditions in the five ski areas. This can help you judge where the best chances of off piste snow lie.
Cairngorm Weather Station and web camera. See what it is doing on the plateau in real time!
Edinburgh University links site to weather resources for Scotland. Basically a repeat of links here
Latest road reports from RAC, including downloads to PDAs
Latest road conditions reports from the AA
These provide a source of up to the minute reports on road conditions and weather in their regions
BBC Radio Scotland 92.4-94.7 FM provides good coverage.
Nevis Independent Radio 96.6 FM
Regular weather reports after the News all through the day (7.08am, 7.30am, 8.30am are particularly useful). Ski and Avalanche reports are issued at 7.35am, 8.35am, 9.35am and 3.35pm.
Moray Firth Independent Radio 96.6 - 97.4 FM
Aberdeen North Sound Radio 96.9 - 97.6 FM
© Copyright Edinburgh Ski Touring Club 2007. e-mail: webman@estc.org.uk. Last updated May 2007