Average Temperature in Braemar: Historical Climate Data

Braemar climate in numbers (1857–2026)

Braemar, located in the eastern Cairngorms, is one of the coldest inhabited places in the United Kingdom. Over the full period from 1 January 1857 to 30 June 2026, the average temperature stands at 6.41005119289095°C. This figure represents the mean of all daily mean temperatures recorded at the station, excluding any provisional or incoherent quality readings.

The annual cycle is strongly continental for a UK site: winters are cold with average daily means hovering around 1.0°C in January, while summers remain mild, peaking at 12.9°C in July. The absolute maximum temperature recorded at braemar is 30.0°C, while the absolute minimum drops to -27.2°C, a spread of more than 57°C between the hottest and coldest extremes ever measured here.

The following sections break down the average temperature by month and provide the full context of the station's long-term record, all drawn from the Met Office MIDAS archive.

Average temperature by month

The monthly pattern below shows the mean daily average, mean daily maximum, and mean daily minimum temperatures for each calendar month, calculated across all years of the series.

The warmest month is July, with a mean temperature of 12.9°C and an average maximum of 17.4°C. The coldest month is January, averaging 1.0°C, with a mean minimum of -1.9°C. February is equally cold in terms of average minima, also at -1.9°C.

Annual evolution of average temperature

The series at braemar spans from 1 January 1857 to 30 June 2026, offering one of the longest continuous climate records in the United Kingdom. While individual year-by-year data require full station archives, the overall monthly and absolute figures shown here provide a reliable picture of the site's thermal regime across 169 years of observations.

Because the full annual breakdown would require the complete yearly series dataset, this summary focuses on the monthly normals and absolute extremes available. The overall average of 6.41005119289095°C is consistent with marginal upland conditions, where frost can occur in any month and summer warmth is limited by altitude and latitude.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average annual temperature in Braemar?

The historical average temperature at braemar station is 6.41005119289095°C, calculated from all valid daily means between 1 January 1857 and 30 June 2026.

Which month is the warmest in Braemar?

July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 12.9°C and a mean daily maximum of 17.4°C. August is close behind at 12.4°C.

Which month is the coldest in Braemar?

January is the coldest month, averaging 1.0°C, with a mean minimum of -1.9°C. February shares the same average minimum of -1.9°C, though its overall mean is slightly higher at 1.2°C.

What type of climate does Braemar have?

Braemar has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) or cold upland climate, with cool summers and relatively cold winters. The absolute low of -27.2°C and absolute high of 30.0°C illustrate the severe winter cold and occasionally warm summer days.

What are the record high and low temperatures in Braemar?

The highest temperature recorded in the series is 30.0°C, and the lowest is -27.2°C. These extremes come from the Met Office MIDAS dataset covering 1857 to 2026.

How reliable are these historical figures?

The data originate from the Met Office's national station network and are processed through the MIDAS archive. For this page, records flagged as provisional or incoherent are excluded, ensuring the remaining observations meet standard quality checks.