Gulmarg Temperature Today and by Month: Snow Season, Records and What to Wear (2026-27)

Gulmarg is cold. Its average January day tops out at 0.7°C and its nights sit at -7.7°C; even July, the warmest month, averages 21.1°C by day. It is roughly 7 to 10°C colder than Srinagar in every month, and the top of the Gondola at Apharwat is colder again. Those are the India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 normals for the Gulmarg station at 2,650 m, and the rest of this page is built on them, with what the last two winters actually did.

If you only want to know whether there is snow on the ground this week, that lives on our Gulmarg snow report, which carries a dated note from the ground. This page is for planning: what each month feels like, when the snow comes and goes, how cold it really gets, and what to wear. The places themselves are in our Gulmarg guide.

Gulmarg temperature today

On 18 October 2026 the IMD station in Gulmarg recorded a high of 12.5°C and a low of 0.5°C, which is 2.3°C colder than normal at night, and the forecast to 24 October is 12 to 13°C by day and about 1°C at night under partly cloudy skies. That is a normal October: cold nights, bright days, and the first snow showers possible on Apharwat. The upper slopes already had a thin layer on 17 September this year, the earliest we have seen it reported.

For today's reading, use the source the forecasts copy from: the Meteorological Centre Srinagar publishes Gulmarg's past-24-hour maximum and minimum and a seven-day outlook on the IMD city weather page for Gulmarg every morning. A forecast app will give you the same numbers a day late. For snow on the ground and whether the Gondola is running, our snow report is updated from Gulmarg itself.

Gulmarg weather by month

The table is the IMD normal for 1991-2020: the average high, the average low and the month's precipitation, which from December to March falls almost entirely as snow. Below it, a few lines on what each month is actually like for a visitor.

Gulmarg in January

The coldest month: 0.7°C by day and -7.7°C at night on average, with the Chillai Kalan cold spell running until about 31 January. Snow is deep on the meadow and the ski season is at its peak. Cold spells go well below the average: Gulmarg recorded -8.8°C on 5 January 2026, the coldest night of that winter to that point. Roads need chains from Tangmarg, and flights to Srinagar can be cancelled after a big fall, as all 58 were on 27 January 2026.

The whole valley that month, with the roads, flights and what to pack: Kashmir in January.

Gulmarg in February

Almost as cold as January, 1.8°C by day and -6.4°C at night, and the snowiest month, with 208 mm of precipitation, nearly all snow. If you want the deepest snow and the best skiing, this is the month. The record low for Gulmarg, -31.6°C, was set in a February, though nothing like it has been seen in decades.

Gulmarg in March

The wettest month at 216 mm, and the turning point: early March still has snow on the meadow and skiing on the slopes, by the end of the month the lower meadow is thawing into mud and the snow line moves up towards Kongdoori. Days reach 5.4°C on average, nights -2.7°C. Bring waterproof shoes, not snow boots, for the second half.

Gulmarg in April

Days of 10.4°C and nights just above freezing. The meadow is patchy, brown and wet as the snow goes, and Apharwat at the top of the Gondola is still white: this is the month to ride Phase 2 for snow without the winter cold. The meadow greens up by the end of April.

Gulmarg in May

The meadow turns green and the flowers start; days average 15.6°C, nights 6.1°C. Apharwat keeps its snow: in May 2026 news reports put about 6 feet still lying at the top. May is busy, because it is school-holiday season and the one month that offers green below and snow above on the same Gondola ticket.

Gulmarg in June

Warm by Gulmarg standards, 19.3°C by day and 9.4°C at night, and the meadow at its greenest. Snow at Apharwat shrinks to patches by mid-month. Evenings still need a fleece. June is the busiest summer month; book the Gondola slot as soon as your dates are fixed.

Gulmarg in July and August

The warmest weeks of the year, 21.1°C and 20.5°C by day, with about 100 mm of rain a month. Showers tend to come in the afternoon, so ride the Gondola in the morning. There is no snow except on the highest, north-facing slopes above Apharwat.

Gulmarg in September

Clear, calm and 18.5°C by day; the driest spell of the year begins. Nights drop to 8.6°C. Most years the meadow is still green and the crowds have gone. Apharwat can get a first dusting late in the month: it did on 17 September 2026.

Gulmarg in October

The driest month, 48 mm, with bright days of 14.2°C and nights near 3.8°C. The meadow turns gold and then brown. Most years the first real snow falls on Apharwat during October: in 2025 the upper slopes were white on 2 and 3 October, and a bigger fall of 2 to 8 inches came on 7 and 8 October, when Gulmarg's night dipped to -0.4°C.

Gulmarg in November

Nights go below freezing on average, -0.6°C, and days reach 9°C. The meadow is bare and cold, and snow on it is a bonus rather than a plan: some years it comes in the last week, most years it waits for December. Apharwat is white. Hotels are cheap, the Gondola queue is short, and the light is sharp.

Gulmarg in December

Snow season begins. Days average 4.6°C, nights -4.8°C, and 74 mm of precipitation falls mostly as snow, usually settling on the meadow from the middle of the month. Chillai Kalan starts on 21 December. The last week of December is the busiest of the year, and the coldest nights can go far below the average: 31 December 2024 brought -10.0°C, 4.1°C below normal for the date.

December has its own page for the whole valley, with the week-by-week pattern of the last two years: Kashmir in December. For the ski calendar, see skiing in Gulmarg.

When does it snow in Gulmarg?

The first snow lands on Apharwat, the ridge at the top of the Gondola, in late September or October. The meadow itself usually turns white in December and stays white until early March. January and February are the only months when snow on the meadow is close to certain.

How much falls varies a lot from year to year. The 2024-25 winter was cold and snowy from late December; the 2025-26 winter started early on the high slopes in October, then stayed dry in the plains until late January, when one spell dropped about 8 inches in Gulmarg overnight. The lesson for planning is simple: January and February give the best odds, December in Gulmarg is a good bet, and any date before mid-December is a hope.

Where snow falls across the rest of the valley, and in which weeks, is in snowfall in Kashmir.

How cold does Gulmarg get?

Colder at night than the averages suggest. The IMD normal for a January night is -7.7°C, but every winter has nights of -9 to -10°C: -10.0°C on 31 December 2024, -8.8°C on 5 January 2026. Days are far milder, usually around or just above freezing even in January, so the cold you feel is at dawn, after sunset, and in the wind at the top of the Gondola.

Is Gulmarg colder than Srinagar?

Yes, by 7 to 10°C in every month, because it sits more than 1,000 m higher. In January Srinagar averages 7.1°C by day and -1.9°C at night; Gulmarg 0.7°C and -7.7°C. In July Srinagar reaches 30°C while Gulmarg stays at 21°C, which is why the meadow was a summer escape long before it was a ski resort. Pahalgam sits between the two.

One oddity worth knowing: in early winter Pahalgam's nights are often colder than Gulmarg's, because the valley traps cold air before Gulmarg's snow cover sets in. On 4 December 2025 Pahalgam was at -4.8°C while Gulmarg was at -1°C. Once the snow is down, Gulmarg is the coldest of the three.

Srinagar's own month table is in our Srinagar guide, and the whole valley side by side is in the best time to visit Kashmir.

Apharwat and the Gondola: colder at the top

The station that gives the numbers above is on the meadow at 2,650 m. The top of the Gondola, Apharwat, is about 3,980 m, roughly 1,330 m higher, and at the standard rate of about 6.5°C per 1,000 m that is 8°C colder before you count the wind. A pleasant 15°C May afternoon on the meadow is 7°C and windy at the top, with snow underfoot.

• Carry a jacket in every month. In summer a fleece and a windproof layer; in winter everything you own.
• Phase 2 closes in bad weather. High wind, heavy snow or lightning stops the cable car at Kongdoori or shuts it altogether, usually for hours rather than days. Book the first morning slot, when the air is calmest.
• Sunburn is real at 4,000 m. Snow doubles the glare. Sunglasses and sunscreen in January are not a joke.

What happens to your ticket when the Gondola is closed by weather, and which slot to book, is in our Gondola guide.

Best time to visit Gulmarg

It depends on what you came for, and Gulmarg is the one place in Kashmir where every season has a real answer.

For a first trip, our family's rule is winter, and at least one night. A day trip in January means queuing for the Gondola in the coldest hour and driving back in the dark on an icy road; a night means an evening in fresh snow and the first slot in the morning. In summer a long day trip from Srinagar is enough.

The full month-by-month case for the whole valley is in the best time to visit Kashmir; the drive up, with chains and 4x4s, is in Srinagar to Gulmarg.

What to wear in Gulmarg, month by month

The mistake we see most is dressing for Srinagar's forecast. Dress for the Gulmarg number, then add a layer for the Gondola.

Our one rule, learned the wet way: after an hour of snowball fights you are soaked through, and the drive back to Srinagar is long and cold. Everything else can be rented; dry clothes cannot.

Rain, fog and the road

March is the wettest month (216 mm) and October the driest (48 mm). Summer rain comes as afternoon showers, which is why the Gondola is best ridden in the morning. Fog sits on the meadow on winter mornings and lifts by mid-morning; on the drive, it is the stretch from Tangmarg up through the pines that ices first.

Daily road status for the valley is posted by the J&K traffic police; our Srinagar to Gulmarg guide explains chains, the 4x4 taxis at Tangmarg and what they cost.