Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath. Also includes the Ben Alder area hills between Loch Ericht and Loch Laggan.
Tuesday's Forecast
Windy, walking impeded
Blustery conditions enough to give buffeting on higher terrain or affect balance on exposed ridges. 25 to 40mph.
Patchy rain or drizzle
Rain on and off, or generally drizzly - total amounts small, but may be persistently damp, especially where hills are shrouded in cloud.
Chilly
Air temperature typically 1 to 5C on higher summits. Feeling distinctly chilly on tops when stationary or where exposed to wind. Take appropriate layers.
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Windy, walking impeded
Blustery conditions enough to give buffeting on higher terrain or affect balance on exposed ridges. 25 to 40mph.
Patchy rain or drizzle
Rain on and off, or generally drizzly - total amounts small, but may be persistently damp, especially where hills are shrouded in cloud.
Chilly
Air temperature typically 1 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
Tuesday 21st October 2025
Last updated
Mon 20th Oct 25 at
4:30PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Patchy rain drifts east across the Highlands, breaking up into showers. Staying showery all day toward west coast, locally more frequent rain. Showery rain throughout the day for England and Wales, occasionally heavy. Low cloud most persistent west. Increasingly windy, feeling cold.
Headline for Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Wind strengthening afternoon. A little rain, showers, cloud on tops.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Southwesterly, 15-20mph or less in morning. Abrupt switch westerly middle of day into afternoon and increasing, soonest in western areas, 30-35mph, gusts later 40mph higher tops.
Effect of the wind on you?
Fairly small much of morning, but becoming increasingly blustery higher areas. Afternoon onward more arduous over tops, significant wind chill.
How Wet?
Patchy rain, brief showers
Rain on and off in the morning, amounts mostly small, tending to drift eastwards and fade with time. Then a few areas of showers. More often dry further east.
Cloud on the hills?
Mostly higher areas, rising a little
Covering higher terrain fairly widely in morning above 800-1000m, lowest around rain toward and west of A9 corridor. Base rising a little toward upper slopes, some breaks forming, but cloud likely to often cap high tops.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
20% rising to 50%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Largely cloudy, a little sun breaking through mostly north and east of the Cairngorms. Visibility good away from rain, reduced for periods.
How Cold? (at 900m)
6 or 7C, dropping later in day to 3C. Feeling like -5C in the strengthening wind, later in day nearer -10C high tops.
Freezing Level
Above the summits all daylight, then dropping to 1300m evening into night.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Wednesday 22nd October 2025
Last updated
Mon 20th Oct 25 at
4:30PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
West or southwesterly 20 to 30mph.
Effect of the wind on you?
Feeling blustery on exposed higher tops, may affect balance on some ridges. Marked wind chill.
How Wet?
Rare if any precipitation
Chance of an odd brief light shower, or snow flurry on higher Munros.
Cloud on the hills?
Patches high tops, good breaks
Occasional cloud grazing higher slopes, mostly above 1000m, most common western areas. Further east, cloud often above higher summits.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
70%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Fairly cloudy, some sun, best in east. Visibility excellent.
How Cold? (at 900m)
2 or 3C. Feeling like -5C, nearer -8C high summits in the wind.
Freezing Level
Near highest Cairngorms summits, 1200-1300m or slightly higher.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Thursday 23rd October 2025
Last updated
Mon 20th Oct 25 at
4:30PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
High uncertainty - a possible sustained lull, but may rapidly increase, mostly W-SW'ly 30mph, risk reaching 40-50mph.
Effect of the wind on you?
Possibly staying small, but beware of difficult conditions developing bringing significant wind chill.
How Wet?
Possible rain / high-level snow west
Largely dry conditions may last much of the day, especially eastern areas. Risk of showery rain, or falling as snow on higher Munros, mostly toward west of A9, may develop further and become frequent.
Cloud on the hills?
Patches high tops
Occasional cloud drifting over higher mountains, more likely in western areas, where may fill in on higher areas. Breaks to summits more likely in east.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
60%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Occasional sun east, cloudier west. Visibility excellent where dry, but reducing locally to poor if precipitation develops.
How Cold? (at 900m)
2 or 3C. If wind speed increases, chill factor feeling near -10C.
Freezing Level
1100 to 1200m.
Planning Outlook
A complex weather situation through midweek, with various centres of low pressure drifting around slowly. Areas of rain and showers, but also drier moments - Wednesday and possibly Thursday often dry in eastern Scotland and northern England - beware of a deterioration from the northwest during Thursday with gales and rain setting in. Significantly colder later in the week as winds turn northerly. Freezing level dropping to 800-1000m into the weekend, lowest in northern Scotland. A mix of sunshine and showers falling as snow on high terrain, most frequent in north-facing areas.