Kashmir in February 2027: Weather, Snow, Ski Season and What It Costs

February is the snowiest month in Gulmarg and the first month the city thaws. On the IMD normals Srinagar averages 10.5°C by day and 0.7°C at night, Gulmarg 1.8°C and -6.4°C with 208 mm of precipitation, almost all of it snow, against 161 mm in January. The ski season is at its peak, and a late-February storm can still shut the airport for a morning, as on 28 February 2025.

This page is the February plan: what the weather does, where the snow is likeliest, what the last three Februaries did, what a trip costs with rooms and fares we checked for February 2027, and which week to pick. Temperatures are the India Meteorological Department's 1991 to 2020 normals; every price carries the date we checked it. For snow across the whole winter, start with snowfall in Kashmir; the month before is in Kashmir in January.

Kashmir weather in February 2027

February is winter easing, not winter over. Chillai Kalan, the 40 coldest days, ends on 30 January; the two shorter spells that follow, Chillai Khurd to 19 February and Chillai Bachha to 2 March, carry the cold into March. In Srinagar the afternoons climb above 10°C and the nights hover at freezing; in Gulmarg the nights stay around -6°C and the snow keeps coming. The figures below are the India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 normals, the same series as on our January and December pages.

The days grow quickly. In Srinagar the sun is up from 7:28 am to 6:00 pm on 1 February, 7:16 am to 6:13 pm on 14 February and 7:01 am to 6:25 pm on 28 February: nearly an hour more light by the end of the month than at the start (sunrise-sunset.org, for 2027). Drives still end by sunset, because the roads ice over the moment the sun goes.

Srinagar in February

The city thaws in February. Afternoons of 10°C to 12°C are normal, the frost lifts by mid-morning, and the chinars are still bare. Snow in the city is a some-days thing: on 4 February 2024 an overnight fall closed the airport for the day, and on 1 February 2026 a storm blanketed the plains and suspended flights, but in the second half of the month a fall in Srinagar usually melts within a day. Dal Lake freezes at the edges only on the coldest nights, early in the month, and shikaras run all month. The city on its own, with its three-day plan and the heating question hotel by hotel, is in Srinagar in January; almost all of it holds for February, with milder afternoons.

Gulmarg in February

Gulmarg is the point of February. The meadow is under its deepest snow of the winter, 1.8°C by day and -6.4°C at night on average, and 208 mm of precipitation, nearly all snow, make it the snowiest month of the year at the station. The record low for Gulmarg, -31.6°C, was set in a February, though nothing like it has been seen in decades. Every month at the station, with the records, is in Gulmarg weather by month.

Pahalgam and Sonamarg in February

Pahalgam sits between the two, about 7°C by day and -4°C at night, with the town patchy and the valleys above it white. Betaab is open; the Aru road shuts after heavy snow until it is cleared. Sonamarg is the snowiest place you can drive to, through the tunnel, and the pass beyond it, Zoji La, shuts for weeks at this time of year: it was closed from 15 February to 20 March in 2024 and from 27 February to 1 April in 2025. Treat Zero Point as a bonus, never a plan.

What the last three Februaries were like

February 2024 opened with snow: on Sunday 4 February about 20 flights, every flight of the day, were cancelled at Srinagar after an overnight fall hampered the clearing of the runway, and Zoji La closed from 15 February to 20 March. February 2025 was the opposite until its last week. The winter had been so dry that the Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games was moved from February to March for lack of snow; then, from 25 to 28 February, Gulmarg recorded 113 mm of precipitation and Sonamarg 75 mm, two to two and a half feet of snow lay at Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Doodhpathri and Peer ki Gali, three feet at Zoji La and four at Gurez, every morning flight on the 28th was delayed until after 11 am, and Zoji La shut from 27 February to 1 April.

February 2026 began with the storm that ended January: on 1 February air operations at Srinagar were suspended, the Jammu highway was partly closed, and the Srinagar to Kargil road was cut by at least 15 avalanches, with more snow forecast for 1 and 2 February. After that the month went dry. February 2026 ended 89% below its normal precipitation by the Meteorological Centre's figures, the Khelo India Winter Games still went ahead on the Kongdoori slopes from 23 to 26 February, and the Mughal Road reopened on 27 February, weeks earlier than usual. The lesson is the same as January's: book Gulmarg for the snow, keep a spare day, and expect the month to be either dry or dramatic.

This winter so far, checked on 29 October 2026

The tops have been dusted several times: light snow on the upper reaches of Gulmarg on 10 October, and fresh snow at Sinthan Top and Peer Ki Gali on 24 October, with Gulmarg at 0.6°C on the morning of 26 October (IMD readings quoted by Karmactive, 27 October). On 9 October the director of the Meteorological Centre Srinagar told The News Now that Jammu and Kashmir may have a relatively dry winter under El Niño, with one or two big snowfalls in peak winter still possible. If that holds, February 2027 may look more like the last week of February 2025 than a white month from the first. Once the season starts, Gulmarg snow report today carries dated reports of what has actually fallen.

Early, mid or late February?

The second half of the month is the best value for most trips: the ski courses are running, the Valentine's weekend has passed, the days are nearly an hour longer than in January, and the late-month storms of 2025 show the snow can still come. The first week is the surest for snow on the ground; the Valentine's weekend, 13 and 14 February, is the one stretch when Gulmarg fills.

Two dates to know. Herath, the Kashmiri Shivratri, falls on Saturday 6 March in 2027, so it is outside February this year. Khelo India Winter Games dates for 2027 had not been announced when we checked on 29 October 2026; the 2026 Gulmarg leg ran from 23 to 26 February, and the 2025 one was moved to March for lack of snow, so if you want to watch, wait for the announcement rather than booking around a guess. Gondola slots open well in advance, so book Gulmarg first.

Does it snow in Kashmir in February?

In Gulmarg, Sonamarg and the valleys above Pahalgam, usually, and February is the month Gulmarg averages the most of it. On the ground the snow is at its deepest, because January's falls have not melted and February's land on top. Fresh snowfall on your dates is another matter: February 2025 had almost none until the 25th, and February 2026 ended 89% below normal. In Srinagar it snows on some days, mostly in the first half of the month, and it melts fast in the longer afternoons.

For whether there is snow on the ground this week, use our live Gulmarg snow report rather than a forecast app.

Does it snow in Srinagar in February?

Yes, on some days, and less often than in January. The city's February nights average 0.7°C, right at freezing, so a fall needs a cold spell behind it: the snow of 4 February 2024 and 1 February 2026 both came with storms that closed the airport. In the second half of the month the afternoons are warm enough that snow in the city rarely lasts a day. If you want to wake up to snow on the houseboats, come in the first ten days; if you want snow under your boots, go to Gulmarg, where it is on the ground all month.

What if there is no snow when you visit?

Go higher, not home. Gondola Phase 2 to Apharwat, near 4,000 m, is the one place almost certain to have snow in a dry February, when the wind lets it run; it costs ₹1,000 on top of the ₹800 Phase 1 ticket. Sonamarg, through the tunnel, is the second bet. Keep the Gulmarg night movable so it can follow a fresh fall, and fill a dry day with what late winter does best anyway: harissa at dawn, the old city, and a shikara on a still lake in a 10°C afternoon.

Is Dal Lake frozen in February?

Only at the edges, and only on the coldest nights, which in February come early in the month; by the second half of the month the lake is open water and the afternoons are above 10°C. A full freeze is rare at any time: the last one on record was in 1986. Shikaras run all month, and nobody should walk on the ice when there is any. More in our Dal Lake guide.

Planning February for your family? Get free plan: a free day-by-day plan for your dates, with hotels for each night and what each day costs.

Chillai Khurd and Chillai Bachha: the cold eases, the snow does not

Kashmiris count the winter in three spells. Chillai Kalan, the great cold, ends on 30 January. Chillai Khurd, the small cold, runs for 20 days from 31 January to 19 February 2027, and Chillai Bachha, the baby cold, for 10 days from 20 February to 2 March. The names describe the nights in the city, which climb from about -2°C in January to about 1°C in February, and they say nothing about the mountains, where February is the snowiest month of all. The dates are fixed by the traditional calendar; the weather is not.

Winter life carries on through both. The pheran stays on, the kangri is still carried under it, and the harissa shops in the old city are still serving before dawn: the season runs all winter, from late October or early November, and a plate costs about ₹400 to ₹1,000 depending on where you get it. The way locals have it is still the best, someone who lives nearby picking it up first thing, so if you know anyone in the city, ask. What to order and where is in our guide to Kashmiri harissa. Spring is close behind: the almond trees at Badamwari below Hari Parbat flower in early to mid-March, and the Tulip Garden opens in the second half of March in most years.

Where to go in Kashmir in February

• Gulmarg, for the snow. The deepest snow of the winter, the Gondola to Kongdoori and Apharwat, and the ski season at its peak. Our family's rule for winter: stay at least one night rather than driving up and down in a day, try skiing even for a morning, and bring a spare set of clothes and shoes that can take snow.
• Srinagar, for the winter city with longer days. Harissa at dawn, the old city, Hazratbal, a shikara in a 10°C afternoon, and the Mughal gardens with bare chinars and the fountains off. The city is quiet in February, which is the point.
• Sonamarg, through the tunnel. Open all winter since the tunnel opened in January 2025, with chains compulsory in snow; the snowiest place you can drive to. Zoji La and Zero Point beyond it are shut for weeks in February in most years.
• Pahalgam, quietly. Betaab is open all year and Aru is reachable once the road is cleared after snow. Baisaran and Chandanwari were closed by the official order of 7 July 2026, reported to run to 31 December 2026; their 2027 status was not known on 29 October 2026, so do not plan on them. One night is enough. More in our Pahalgam guide.
• Drung, for the ice. The waterfall below Tangmarg on the Gulmarg road freezes into a wall of ice in the depth of winter, and February is one of its two surest months. Stop on the way up. The years it froze, and how to fit it into the Gulmarg day, are in our Drung Waterfall guide.
• Not in February: Gurez, cut off by snow on the Razdan Pass; the Mughal Road, shut for the winter (it reopened on 27 February in 2026, an early year); Zoji La beyond Sonamarg; and the Tulip Garden, which opens in the second half of March. Doodhpathri and Yusmarg are open on paper but snowed in for spells, so treat them as a bonus on a clear day. Sinthan Top is on the official closed list.

The places themselves, with distances and best months, are ranked in the 30 best places to visit in Kashmir. For Gulmarg in winter: our Gulmarg guide and skiing in Gulmarg.

Closed places in February 2027: what we know

Thirty tourist spots across the valley were shut by an official order of 7 July 2026, still the latest posted when we checked on 29 October 2026. The best known are Baisaran and Chandanwari near Pahalgam, Sinthan Top, Daksum, Aharbal and Kounsarnag in the south, Tosa Maidan, Bungus, the Dachigam area, and Babareshi near Tangmarg. The Wire reported on 15 July 2026 that the order runs to 31 December 2026. What happens from 1 January 2027 is not known yet: it may be renewed, changed or lifted. Plan February without these places, and if any of them matters to you, ask for the latest order the week before you fly; we will update this page when one is posted. The full list, by district, is in the 30 best places in Kashmir, and the wider picture in is Kashmir safe to visit.

A five-day Kashmir itinerary for February

Two nights in Srinagar, one in Gulmarg and one in Pahalgam, with an afternoon flight home as the spare. It follows our Kashmir itinerary with February changes: sleep on the meadow so you are on the snow before the day visitors arrive from Srinagar, use the longer afternoons for the lake and the gardens, and never put the Gulmarg night just before the flight.

On the ground the five days come to about ₹56,900 for two at Comfort, or ₹85,800 with return flights from Delhi for 10 to 14 February 2027. With seven days, add a second Gulmarg night (a ski lesson one morning, the Gondola the next) and a Sonamarg day trip through the tunnel. If the forecast shows a big storm on your last two days, swap Pahalgam for a second Srinagar night so you are near the airport.

How much does a Kashmir trip cost in February?

About ₹42,900 per person for five days at Comfort when two travel together from Delhi on 10 to 14 February 2027, flights included; about ₹30,600 at Budget and ₹64,400 at Luxe. Without flights it is about ₹16,200, ₹28,500 and ₹49,900 per person. That is about 4% more than our mid-January figure (₹82,600 for two at Comfort for 12 to 16 January 2027); the Delhi nonstop fare was the same ₹14,467 on both weeks, so the difference is the rooms. Like for like, Gulmarg's hotels were about 7% dearer for 11 February than for 13 January, while Srinagar, Pahalgam and Sonamarg barely moved.

Read the percentile figures with care: fewer hotels show a rate three and a half months out than for January, and the ones that do skew dear. The like-for-like comparison against our 13 January readings is the better guide. Gulmarg: of 13 hotels priced on both nights, none were cheaper in February, 5 the same within 2% and 8 dearer; the median hotel was 7% dearer. Srinagar: of 59 hotels priced on both nights, 12 were cheaper in February, 29 the same within 2% and 18 dearer; the median hotel charged the same. Pahalgam: of 24 hotels priced on both nights, 2 were cheaper in February, 16 the same within 2% and 6 dearer; the median hotel charged the same. Sonamarg: of 11 hotels priced on both nights, one was cheaper in February, 8 the same within 2% and 2 dearer; the median hotel charged the same. A Tripadvisor destination expert's report of a February trip in 2022 said the same thing in words: Gulmarg was the only place where hotels were fully booked, and every other hotel on the route had a handful of guests.

Fares move with the calendar and the city. From Mumbai the 10 to 14 February return was ₹25,724 with one stop and ₹30,043 nonstop, which takes the Comfort trip for two to about ₹1,17,000; over the Valentine's weekend, 12 to 16 February, the Mumbai nonstop was ₹27,328 and the Delhi one-stop fare ₹13,221. From Bengaluru the cheapest return was ₹29,026, from Hyderabad ₹26,828, from Pune ₹26,186, from Ahmedabad ₹30,711 and from Kolkata ₹33,886, all with one stop. Fares change daily, so treat these as the level to expect, not a quote.

Costs for other months, eight cities and the full method are in what a Kashmir trip costs; the four winter months side by side, with what each is open for, in Kashmir in winter.

Getting around in February: flights, snow and the roads

The fog season of December and January is passing; February's airport closures come with snow, and they take a morning or a day the same way. Plan for it rather than being surprised by it.

The train is the link that holds up best in snow: in the January 2026 storm the Katra to Srinagar Vande Bharat kept running while the Jammu highway was shut, ETV Bharat reported. Timings are in Katra to Srinagar by train. For a dated report on the airport, see Srinagar airport status.

• Flights. Heavy snow closes Srinagar airport: every flight on 4 February 2024, air operations suspended on 1 February 2026, every morning flight delayed on 28 February 2025. Book an afternoon or evening flight home and keep a spare day before it.
• The Jammu highway. Open in winter but shut or one-way after heavy snow near the Navyug tunnel, as on 1 February 2026. Check the J&K Traffic Police advisory on the morning you drive.
• Gulmarg. In snow, only 4x4s and cars with anti-skid chains may drive the 13 km from Tangmarg. Registered vendors fit chains at Tangmarg; the drive up with chains clanking on the tyres is part of the fun. On a clear day the road can be open to ordinary cars, as a February 2022 forum report found on its first drive up, but do not count on it: the same report needed chains two days later.
• Sonamarg. Open through the tunnel; chains compulsory in snow; Zoji La beyond it closed for weeks in most Februaries, and avalanche warnings follow big storms, as on the Srinagar to Kargil road on 1 February 2026.
• Daylight. Sunrise in Srinagar is about 7:28 am and sunset 6:00 pm on 1 February, 7:01 am and 6:25 pm by the 28th. Roads ice over after dark, so reach your hotel by sunset.

The drive and the chains in detail: Srinagar to Gulmarg; the tunnel: Srinagar to Sonamarg; flights, the train and the highway: how to reach Kashmir.

Things to do in Kashmir in February

• Ski, or learn to. February is the snowiest month of the season and, with January, the most reliable. A beginner day with both Gondola phases, rental and lunch costs about ₹3,000 to ₹4,500; lessons are extra.
• Ride the Gondola. Phase 1 to Kongdoori is the easy snow; Phase 2 to Apharwat, near 4,000 m, is for healthy adults and closes in wind. Book the first morning slot on the official portal. Two travel guides in 2026 report that it shuts for maintenance on the second and fourth Mondays, which in February 2027 are the 8th and the 22nd, so check before you plan your Gulmarg day on either.
• Sledge and snowball on the meadow. Kongdoori has tea stalls and sledges; the meadow in front of the hotels is enough for children, and the snow is at its deepest.
• A shikara in the thaw. By mid-February the afternoons are warm enough to sit out on the lake for an hour. The price is per boat, not per person.
• Harissa, kahwa and a kangri. The winter food runs to the end of the season; February mornings are still cold enough to want it.

Where and when to eat it, and what a plate costs, is in our guide to Kashmiri harissa.

Ski courses and events in February 2027: the IISM batches and Khelo India

The Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering in Gulmarg has posted its 2026-27 snow skiing schedule, and three of its 14-day courses touch February. Booking opens on 12 November 2026 at 10 am, and operators report seats going within minutes in recent seasons, so be ready at the opening time. Fees, age rules and how to apply are in our guide to skiing in Gulmarg.

The Khelo India Winter Games used the Kongdoori slopes from 23 to 26 February 2026, and the 2025 Gulmarg leg was moved to March for lack of snow. Dates for 2027 had not been announced when we checked on 29 October 2026. Booking the Gondola, slot by slot: our Gondola guide. The shikara, ghat by ghat: what a shikara should cost.

What to wear in Kashmir in February

Dress for Gulmarg, not Srinagar, and for the night minimum, not the afternoon high. A February afternoon in the city can be 12°C in the sun; the same evening on the meadow is -6°C, and the top of the Gondola is colder again in the wind.

The full packing guide by place, month and age, with the official hire rates: our Kashmir winter packing guide.

Boots and coats are easy to hire if you would rather not buy them for one trip: at Tangmarg on the way to Gulmarg, and in Pahalgam at the approved rate below.

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

Where to stay, and how it is heated

In February the room still matters more than the view. Ask exactly how it is heated before you book: an electric heater, a bukhari (a wood or kerosene stove), or central heating. Ask about power backup, because heaters stop when the power does, and whether hot water runs all day. In Gulmarg, stay close to the Gondola and the meadow so nobody walks far through deep snow, and book early for the Valentine's weekend.

Houseboats are cosy in late winter if the heating is good. The owners' association rate card charges heating separately.

The room rates above are for 11 February 2027. Our ranked hotel lists show which hotels are worth the money: hotels in Gulmarg, hotels in Srinagar, hotels in Pahalgam, hotels in Sonamarg and houseboats in Srinagar.

February or January? And February or March?

January for the deepest cold, the quietest weeks and the surest snow on the ground; February for the most snow and the longer days. Gulmarg averages 161 mm of precipitation in January and 208 mm in February, almost all of it snow, February days are a little milder (1.8°C against 0.7°C at Gulmarg, 10.5°C against 7.1°C in Srinagar), and the sun sets 25 minutes later by the end of February than at the end of January. Both months carry the same risk of a storm that shuts the airport for a day, and both have one crowded weekend: Republic Day in January, Valentine's in February. The month before is in Kashmir in January.

March is the thaw. The slopes usually hold into early March and the IISM runs its last batch to 13 March, but the city turns to spring: the almond trees at Badamwari flower in early to mid-March, the Tulip Garden opens in the second half of the month in most years (16 March in 2026, 26 March in 2025), and March is the wettest month in Srinagar. If you want snow, February; if you want blossom and can take rain, March; if you want both, the last week of February with a Gulmarg night first and Srinagar last.

The month after, with rooms and fares checked for March 2027 and the blossom dates by year: Kashmir in March.

Every month side by side in the best time to visit Kashmir; the four winter months on one page in Kashmir in winter.

Is February a good time to visit Kashmir?

Yes, if snow is the reason for the trip: it is the snowiest month in Gulmarg, the days are longer than in January, and the city is thawing. No, if you want green valleys, gardens in flower or long days of sightseeing: that is May, June or October. The weekend to avoid, or to book first, is 13 and 14 February.

Costs for a winter trip, flights included, are in Kashmir trip cost; the day-by-day plan in our Kashmir itinerary.

Before you book a February trip

Where these dates and numbers come from

• Weather: IMD normals for 1991 to 2020, as on our place guides, and the IMD extremes table for the Gulmarg record; the February events as reported at the time: Greater Kashmir (5 February 2024), News Arena (28 February 2025), The Tribune (1 March 2025), The Sunday Guardian (1 February 2026), ETV Bharat (3 March 2026) for the 89% deficit, newsonair (4 March 2025) for the Khelo India move and Kashmir Life for the 2026 dates; pass dates as on our snowfall and best-time pages.
• Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org for Srinagar, February 2027. This winter: Karmactive (27 October 2026) quoting IMD readings of 26 October, and The News Now (9 October 2026) quoting the Meteorological Centre Srinagar.
• Calendar: officeholidays.com for Vasant Panchami, Maha Shivratri and the 2027 public holidays; Daily Excelsior (31 October 2025) for the 2026 board exam start; Chillai dates as on our Chillai Kalan page.
• Prices: our own checks on 29 October 2026: Google Flights return fares for 10 to 14, 12 to 16 and 24 to 28 February 2027, and one night on 11 February 2027 at every well-reviewed hotel we track in the four towns; the January figures from our checks of 25 October 2026; the official Gondola, shikara, houseboat, chain and Pahalgam rates with their own dates.
• Ski courses: the IISM Gulmarg 2026-27 schedule on iismgulmarg.in, read on 25 October 2026. Closures: the official list of 7 July 2026 and The Wire (15 July 2026) for its end date; the status from 1 January 2027 is not known yet.
• Traveller report: a Tripadvisor Kashmir forum post on a February 2022 trip by a destination expert, used for the hotel, road and boot-hire observations attributed to it above.