Cairngorm AWS Details

Dr W N MacPherson

An automatic weather station designed and built by the Physics Department has been operating on the summit of Cairn Gorm (1245 m, 57°N, 3°W) since 1977, recording wind speed, direction and temperature in the UK's most severe climate. To combat the effects of heavy icing the instruments are housed in a heated cylinder, only being exposed to sample the weather for 3 minutes every half hour, 48 observations per day. The station has built up over the years a unique data set of value in understanding how the lower atmosphere interacts with mountainous terrain. Observations are transmitted in real time by VHF telemetry for use at Glenmore Lodge. Data is also transmitted at regular intervals via GSM modem for display on this website.

Analysis of archive temperature data allows us to describe a 'typical year'. The data below gives an indication of typical conditions on the summit of Cairn Gorm.  Note that freezing temperatures can be experienced at any time of the year.  The summit AWS also holds the record for the highest recorded windspeed in the UK, 176 mph observed at 11:48 on the 3^rd Jan 1993.