Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath. Also includes the Ben Alder area hills between Loch Ericht and Loch Laggan.
Monday's Forecast
Moderate breeze, locally gusty
A noticeable breeze, feeling cool where exposed on tops. Locally may be gusty, but unlikely to affect walking progress. 15-25mph.
Snow and hail showers
Periods of bright or sunny conditions mixed with showers or flurries of snow and hail. Visibility may change rapidly from excellent to very poor.
Chilly
Air temperature typically 0 to 5C on higher summits. Feeling distinctly chilly on tops when stationary or where exposed to wind. Take appropriate layers.
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Moderate breeze, locally gusty
A noticeable breeze, feeling cool where exposed on tops. Locally may be gusty, but unlikely to affect walking progress. 15-25mph.
Snow and hail showers
Periods of bright or sunny conditions mixed with showers or flurries of snow and hail. Visibility may change rapidly from excellent to very poor.
Chilly
Air temperature typically 0 to 5C on higher summits. Feeling distinctly chilly on tops when stationary or where exposed to wind. Take appropriate layers.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Monday 20th April 2026
Last updated
Sun 19th Apr 26 at
4:00PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Hill snow and rain lower down in northeast Scotland from early in the day, locally persistent for a time. Showers form across Scotland and northern England during the day, locally increasingly heavy with hail. Blustery toward northwest Scotland, otherwise fairly light wind until late in day. Staying at freezing on high Scottish tops.
Headline for Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Varied wind, easing middle of day. Hill snow, showers with hail.
How windy? (On the Munros)
North-northeasterly, 20-25mph to gusty 30mph in places from dawn into early morning. Easing to 15mph, locally less for a time middle of day into afternoon. Trending easterly, starting to increase later, to 30-35mph by dusk onward.
Effect of the wind on you?
Varied, early and late in the day more blustery with considerable wind chill, but dropping mostly small through the middle of the daytime for several hours at least.
How Wet?
Showery, increasingly widely; hail and snow on hills
Showers or locally more frequent precipitation toward the north in the morning, soft hail, also snow falling above 400-500m, later 700-800m, some heavier showers forming more widely, on and off into afternoon, tending to drift westwards.
Cloud on the hills?
Fairly extensive, lifting higher
Cloud banks fairly widely above 700-900m in the morning, lowest toward northeast. Base tending to rise, but likely to linger over the higher Cairngorms above 1000m into the afternoon, gradually breaking higher.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
20% rising to 50%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Largely cloudy, though some shafts of sunshine breaking through. Visibility often very good, but briefly reduced to poor in showers.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-1C rising to 2 or 3C afternoon. Where exposed to wind, feeling like -10C on high tops early in day, improving to -5C.
Freezing Level
800m in morning, plus slight frost in some glens at dawn. Rising to 1200m during afternoon.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Tuesday 21st April 2026
Last updated
Sun 19th Apr 26 at
4:00PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Easterly 20 to 30mph, gusty in places high tops and downslope west of Cairngorms.
Effect of the wind on you?
Marked wind chill in exposure, some blustery spots affecting ease of walking.
How Wet?
Precipitation rare if any
Substantially dry. Chance of occasional light spots of rain, snow grains on higher slopes, mostly morning.
Cloud on the hills?
Covering tops for a time, lifting
Cloud banks likely to cover slopes above 700-800m early in the day, perhaps lower northeast areas for a time. Tending to lift higher up and increasingly break up.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
60%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Fairly cloudy, some brighter sunnier moments mostly A9 corridor westward. Visibility very good.
How Cold? (at 900m)
0C rising to 2 or 3C afternoon. Directly in the wind, feeling as cold as -10C in the morning.
Freezing Level
900m early morning, rising to 1200-1300m or just above high tops afternoon.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Wednesday 22nd April 2026
Last updated
Sun 19th Apr 26 at
4:00PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Easterly 15-20mph, but local gusty spots 25mph, typically strongest south and west of Cairngorm plateau.
Effect of the wind on you?
Fairly small, but locally uncomfortable gusts, not just on higher slopes. Feeling chilly in exposure.
How Wet?
No precipitation expected
Cloud on the hills?
Patches some mid-upper slopes
Some cloud banks early in the day, mostly toward the north and east, patchier westwards; base around 600-700m, whilst tops above 1000-1100m likely poke above the cloud. Tending to disperse.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
80%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Sunshine and broken cloud around some hills for a time; lower eastern areas may be under cloudier skies for a few hours. Visibility excellent out of cloud.
How Cold? (at 900m)
0 or 1C rising to 4C afternoon, locally warmer toward Ben Alder. Feeling sub-zero directly in the wind.
Freezing Level
Around freezing on higher slopes in the morning, also frost in glens at dawn. Rising above freezing to tops.
Planning Outlook
A drier outlook through late April as high pressure resides over Britain, centred generally toward the north. Easterly winds prevail this week, strong and gusty over England and Wales, gale-force in places through midweek. Less windy further north across Scotland and becoming lighter winds everywhere by later in the week. Western mountains generally clear with plenty of sunshine throughout this week ahead, variable cloud at times drifting onto some eastern hills. Some overnight frosts into valleys. Daytime temperatures rising several degrees above freezing to highest tops, warmest in west. Risk of a strengthening chilly northerly wind for a time during next weekend.