Isle of Skye
Sgùrr nan Gillean Weather
Mountain forecast and current conditions · summit 966m
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 06:55
- Sunset
- 19:46
- Civil dawn
- 06:16
- Civil dusk
- 20:25
NOAA Solar Calculator · 15 September 2026
About the weather here
Sgùrr nan Gillean (966m) is the northern end of the Cuillin ridge and the Munro most people see first, rising straight out of the moor behind Sligachan. Every route to the summit involves scrambling on exposed rock, so the weather is not a comfort question here — it decides whether the hill is climbable at all.
What to expect
The Cuillin make their own weather. Moist Atlantic air pushed up the ridge condenses into cloud that sits on the tops while Sligachan is in sun, and it can form and clear within an hour. Rain is frequent and heavy. The critical detail is what water does to the rock: gabbro is superbly grippy dry and the basalt intrusions running through it become genuinely slippery wet, so a shower changes the difficulty of a scramble rather than just the view.
Wind exposure
Extreme on the ridge. The summit is a narrow rock crest with steep ground on both sides and nothing between it and the Atlantic. Wind that is manageable on the walk in across the moor becomes the thing that decides the day once you are on the south-east ridge.
Winter conditions
No SAIS forecast covers Skye — the six areas are all on the mainland — so winter conditions here are judged on the hill. Under snow and ice the Cuillin are a mountaineering proposition rather than a scramble, with the added problem that the gabbro is magnetic in places and a compass cannot be trusted on parts of the ridge. Winter days here need the skills, not just the kit.
Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Sgùrr nan Gillean; SAIS forecasts six areas only. In winter, judge snow stability on the hill from first principles.
Official forecasts
Always check an official mountain forecast before setting out. Current conditions displayed above are from the Open-Meteo API and are indicative only.
Hills in this area
| Hill | Height |
|---|---|
| Am Basteir | 934m |
| Bruach na Frithe | 959m |
| Sgurr a' Mhadaidh | 918m |
| Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh | 972m |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Sgùrr nan Gillean a walk?
- No. Every route to the summit involves exposed scrambling, and the south-east ridge — the easiest line — has a well-known step near the top that stops a lot of people. Treat it as a scramble with consequences, in any weather.
- Why does wet rock matter so much on the Cuillin?
- The gabbro is exceptionally grippy when dry, and the basalt dykes cutting through it are slick when wet. A passing shower can turn a straightforward move into a serious one, which is why the forecast matters more here than on a path hill of the same height.
- Does a compass work on the Cuillin ridge?
- Not reliably. Parts of the ridge are magnetic and will swing a compass needle. Navigation on the Cuillin depends on knowing the ground and on visibility, which is another reason cloud on the ridge is a turn-back signal rather than an inconvenience.
- Is there an avalanche forecast for Skye?
- No. SAIS forecasts six mainland areas and none of them covers the Cuillin. This page says so rather than pointing you at Lochaber, which describes different hills in a different snowpack.
Weather for other locations
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