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
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.
Patchy cloud and winter sun
Mostly dry with a mix of cloud and sun, patchy cloud occasionally covering some mountain slopes.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
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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.
Patchy cloud and winter sun
Mostly dry with a mix of cloud and sun, patchy cloud occasionally covering some mountain slopes.
Cold
Air temperature below 0C all day on higher mountains. Significant chill factor if exposed to strong winds. Suitable protective clothing required.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Tuesday 30th December 2025
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
Summary for all mountain areas
Quiet but chilly conditions, light winds and plenty of sunshine for much of the Highlands, much terrain frozen, sub-zero all day over hills and in some glens. A cold east-northeasterly breeze England and Wales, strongest toward south; fairly cloudy, locally an odd snow flurry over the Pennines.
Headline for Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Cold, but wind fairly light. Patchy cloud and sunshine.
How windy? (On the Munros)
Northerly gradually turning toward northwesterly later, 10 to 20mph, strongest eastern areas.
Effect of the wind on you?
Fairly small, but marked chill where exposed to the breeze.
How Wet?
Precipitation not expected
Cloud on the hills?
Occasional patches over tops
Patchy cloud on upper slopes from 800m mostly across the northern Cairngorms. Clearer in the south. Most hills clearing for periods.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
60% north, 80% south.
Sunshine and air clarity?
Broken cloud and sunshine. Visibility very good.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-3C. Wind chill feeling like -7 to -10C.
Freezing Level
Terrain frozen from lower slopes upwards, with frost into the glens in morning.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Wednesday 31st December 2025
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Westerly 20 to 30mph, increasing through day to 30 to 40mph, risk 45mph north Cairngorms later.
Effect of the wind on you?
Be prepared for increasingly fairly arduous conditions through the day with significant buffeting and wind chill.
How Wet?
Mostly dry
Mostly dry, but a few patches of light rain and snow may move in from the west later. Snow falling above 500 to 800m.
Cloud on the hills?
Lowering onto hills from west.
May well start mostly clear the mountains, but increasingly low cloud will move in from the west to cover upper slopes or tops. Eastern mountains may stay clear.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
40% in west, 70% in east.
Sunshine and air clarity?
Patches of sun, increasingly confined to east and cloud builds in. Visibility mostly very good, but poorer in any precipiatation.
How Cold? (at 900m)
0 or -1C. Feeling like -10 to -15C in the strongest winds.
Freezing Level
Freezing at all levels at first, before freezing level rises through day to 700-900m.
Viewing Forecast For
Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath
Thursday 1st January 2026
Last updated
Mon 29th Dec 25 at
4:20PM
How windy? (On the Munros)
Northwesterly 40 to 60mph, strongest higher Cairngorms, squally gusts in showers.
Effect of the wind on you?
Arduous walking conditions in exposure, difficult with constant buffeting high tops. Significant wind chill, severe higher up.
How Wet?
Snow and hail, most often north
Showers or sometimes more persistent falls of snow moving across the northern Cairngorms and Monadhliath, also hail, falling to lower slopes. Less precipitation toward Glen Garry.
Cloud on the hills?
Often covering tops
Cloud base varying, but often capping higher slopes above 700-900m, most persistent northern areas. Some breaks above 900-1000m Drumochter to Deeside.
Chance of cloud free Munros?
30%
Sunshine and air clarity?
Largely cloudy north, glimpses of sun more often south. Visibility very poor for periods in snow and cloud, but intermittently very good.
How Cold? (at 900m)
-3C (-5C high tops), falling to -5 to -7C into night. Wind chill feeling like -15C, to -20C higher Cairngorms.
Freezing Level
Near or below freezing from the glens upward; most terrain frozen.
Planning Outlook
Significantly cold wintry conditions into the start of January. Air temperature well below freezing on high terrain, plus low minima into many glens and valleys with sustained hard frost. Strong northerly winds later this week giving severe wind chill. Frequent and heavy snow showers moving into northern areas and running down coastal extremities with significant accumulations. Elsewhere, lots of dry and sunny weather, although occasional organised bands of snow will feed south at times in the Arctic airflow. Staying cold into next week with scope for snowfalls more widely.