Skye mountain weather forecast.

The Cuillin and Skye's higher hills. Height-aware guidance for wind, cloud, rain and temperature.

Mountain Weather brief

Skye

Wednesday 21 October 2026 · The Cuillin and Skye's higher hills

Confidence: Unavailable Why?

A comparable model-confidence estimate is not available for this forecast.

What matters most

A mixed day in Skye, with very strong, gusty winds and drizzle for much of the day.

High-ground wind · 900 m35-45 mph southerly Gusts · 900 m45-55 mph Cloud base1100-1400 m Feels like · 900 m-6 to -2°C
Regional median

Sunshine and sky

Cloud becoming more extensive. Cloud cover is likely to increase as sunshine becomes less frequent.

Modelled sunshine9 h90% of daylight
Early1 h sunshine
Midday4 h sunshine
Later2 h sunshine

These are direct modelled sunshine hours during daylight, not the probability of sunshine. Cloud cover and summit cloud are assessed separately in the forecast above. The regional median prevents one unusually bright or dull summit cell defining the whole area.

Overnight forecast: 17:00–08:00 (UK local time), in Wild camping below.

Morning · 08:00–12:00PoorSummit winds around 30-45 mph. Gusts around 50-60 mph are possible on exposed ground. Gusts this strong can make walking very difficult and tiring, with a risk of being blown off your feet. Avoid exposed ridges and edges. Rain is forecast on some hills during this period. Some early summit cloud is possible.
44
Afternoon · 12:00–17:00GoodWinds ease compared with the morning. Rain also eases. Summit winds around 20-30 mph in the early afternoon, easing to 10-20 mph later. Gusts around 30-40 mph are possible on exposed ground. Gusts this strong can make walking into it hard work, with buffeting on ridges and edges. Summit cloud is more persistent early in this period, with better prospects later. Rain is forecast on some hills during this period.
71

Conservative regional grades across representative summits, so one sheltered hill does not overstate the wider area.

01

High-ground wind (900 m)

At around 900 m, expect a southerly wind of 35–45 mph, gusting 45–55 mph, strongest first thing and easing later. Gusts like that are strong enough to make walking very difficult and tiring, with a risk of being blown off your feet. Avoid exposed ridges and edges.

02

Walking impact

Gusts of 45–55 mph are strong enough to make walking very difficult and tiring, with a risk of being blown off your feet. Avoid exposed ridges and edges.

03

Rain and showers

Drizzle for much of the day. Expect 2–5 mm in total.

04

Cloud-free summits

Clear-summit estimate: about 65% early, about 65% around midday and about 90% later.

05

Cloud and visibility

The tops should stay mostly clear of cloud. The cloud base could be as low as 800–1100 m around midday. It will look largely cloudy overhead, but that cloud should mostly stay above the tops.

06

Temperature and wind chill

At around 900 m it will be 2 to 6°C, feeling like -6 to -2°C in the wind. Take a hat, gloves, a windproof and a spare warm layer. Pack waterproofs too, and keep a warm layer dry in your pack.

07

Freezing level

The freezing level is above the summits.

08

Daylight

Sunrise 08:10, Sunset 18:07, about 9.9 hours daylight.

Overnight · 17:00–08:00Wild campingBetaAcross these hills, a mixed night to camp, mainly because of the rain: about 6 mm of rain. 59Mixed · 600 m View detailsHide details
Regional night beginning Wednesday 21 October 2026

Full regional overnight outlook

Across these hills, a mixed night to camp, mainly because of the rain. Light winds on open ground, gusting no more than about 25 mph. About 6 mm of rain is forecast overnight. Above about 600 m you'd likely be in cloud for part of the night: damp, and hard to find your way if you need to move. Overnight lows of about 3°C at 900 m.

Overnight rain6.5 mmOpen ground · 600 m13 mph · gusts 19 mphMorning pack-upDampness possible

Moon overnight

Waxing gibbous moon

Illuminated disc
80%
Moonrise
Outside this window
Moonset
03:04 next morning BST

Cloud and terrain vary across the area. Illumination describes the sunlit part of the Moon, not brightness at your pitch.

Overnight window: 21 Oct, 17:00 BST to 22 Oct, 08:00 BST. Approximate open-horizon times; hills can hide the Moon. Still take a headtorch.

Representative location: 57.207, -6.224. Times vary across the area.

300 m59 · mixed
Wind / gust
11 mph / 16 mph
Coldest
6.7°C
In cloud
0% of modelled night
Condensation
High
600 m59 · mixed
Wind / gust
13 mph / 19 mph
Coldest
6.6°C
In cloud
40% of modelled night
Condensation
High
900 m53 · mixed
Wind / gust
15 mph / 23 mph
Coldest
3.4°C
In cloud
53% of modelled night
Condensation
High

Open-hillside guidance across representative hills. Local shelter, ridges, tent design and the exact pitch can change conditions substantially. Read about sleeping-bag comfort ratings, pitching in strong winds or using the wild-camping forecast.

Daytime · exposed rockClimbing & scramblingBetaWet rock is likely. Gusts near 55 mph may affect balance on exposed rock. 0Poor · Very poor View detailsHide details
Regional rock conditions · sampled mountain terrain

Regional climbing & scrambling outlook

A broad guide to dampness and exposed rock across the area, not a forecast for every crag. Lower, sheltered crags and individual rock types may behave differently.

Conditions for exposed scrambling across the area look very poor (0/100). Rain is likely to leave rock wet. Polished slabs, vegetation and drainage lines may be notably worse. Gusts may reach about 55 mph on exposed ground, making crosswinds an important route consideration. Mapped summit-point geology across the representative hills includes granite, gneiss or gabbro. Rock can therefore respond differently to moisture between crags and routes.

Rock surfaceWet rock likelyExposed gust53 mphRain3.0 mm
Mapped rock across sampled summits1 broad familySummit samples, not a survey of every crag
granite, gneiss or gabbro 100% 8 representative summitsGenerally grippy when dry and often still positive when damp, but wet slabs, lichen, polish and drainage lines can remain slippery.

Representative summit-point samples across the region; individual crags and routes may differ.

Generic exposed hands-on-rock terrain across representative summits; mapped summit-point geology is a broad regional sample, not a named-route survey. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026. How to use the climbing and scrambling forecast.

Recommended kit for this dayWeather-aware packing prompts, plus your core hillwalking kitView kit

For a day hillwalk, not a complete route-specific checklist. Carry navigation and backup you can use, warm and waterproof layers, suitable footwear, food and water, a headtorch, emergency shelter, first aid and a way to call for help. Snow, ice, technical terrain and overnight trips need additional equipment and skills.

Does the weather shape your plans?Optional hill-user research. One answer helps; further questions are up to you.Take part

Help the Mountain Decisions Project understand how forecasts influence hill days, including when plans stay the same. Findings will be shared publicly as summaries, not individual responses.

This is about Skye on Wednesday 21 October 2026. It asks about intentions, not whether you actually went out. No name or account is needed.

Open the questions to take part.

About the research and your privacy · Already been out? Share that experience instead

Weather data: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Adapted by Mountain Weather.

Updated 15 October 2026 at 05:28 UTC. See typical weekly and monthly conditions for Skye.

More context for your hill day

Check the approach as well as the tops

Compare midge conditions by day and height, or look for a possible cloud inversion. For Snowdon and Tryfan, camera-derived cloud-base observations add a view of conditions already seen on the slopes.