High Pressure Mizzle!
5th February 2020
Mist + Drizzle = Mizzle. We associate high pressure weather systems with good settled weather – cold and clear in winter. Wrong! It depends where the high pressure is centred and how strong it is. Currently, it is centred around the English channel allowing a relatively warm and moist SW/W airflow over the North West highlands. This gives us our mizzle, particularly along exposed coastal hills – like Torridon!
There is a limited snow cover and wet snowpack at all levels. Most snow remains above 700m. and bare ground below 600m. The better option today, apparently, was beans on toast and hamburger in Jo’s café – see below!
The extent of snow cover on the east end of Beinn Eighe.
Thick mizzle on Liathach! As good as it got this morning.
Occasional glimpses through the mizzle to the main ridge of Beinn Eighe. Looking into Coire an Laoigh, Beinn Eighe with the Stuc (835m.) on the left.
Triple Buttress, Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Beinn Eighe – Photo by Gwilyn Starks. I met a couple of slightly frustrated climbers (Gwilyn and Charlie) in Torridon (Jo’s) café who had bailed from a plan to climb Fuselage Gully (far right in the photo) – a sound decision, but not so sure about the beans and burger guys …..!
Thick mizzle in Glen Torridon. Brighter inland, particularly in the afternoon with some sunny spells away from the coastal hills.
Coire an Laoigh at 750m in the mizzle. Soft wet snow overlying firm old snow in places. Air temperature here was +2.2C at 11am.
Meltwater running out of Coire an Laoigh!
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