Kashmir in winter, month by month: November to March

When does it snow in Kashmir?

Kashmir in winter runs from November to March, but snow you can plan around belongs to January and February. In both of the last two winters the valley's first real snowfall came in the last ten days of December, and by March the snow is pulling back up the mountains.

Where you go matters as much as when. Gulmarg, at about 2,650 metres, catches far more than Srinagar: India Meteorological Department (IMD) averages for 1991–2020 give Gulmarg about 161 mm of rain and snow in January and 208 mm in February, against 64 mm and 85 mm in Srinagar. Pahalgam sits in between, with about 136 mm in January. Srinagar city gets snow in some winters, so don't count on it there.

No month is safe from a dry spell, either. The Meteorological Centre in Srinagar logged a seventh below-normal winter in a row in 2025-26: 100.6 mm from December to February against a normal of 284.9 mm, 65% short. Snow can't be guaranteed in any month, so we plan every winter trip with that in mind: if snow, a road closure or an official order stops a day out, we swap it for a place that's open.

So pick the month by the one thing you most want from the trip. To compare winter with spring, summer and autumn, see our guide to the best time to visit Kashmir. If you'd like three snow day trips from one Srinagar base, Kashmir Winter Essentials is built around Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, and we change the order to whatever is open on the day.

• Snow first: mid-January to late February, with a night or two in Gulmarg if you can.
• Snow without the peak-season price: any dates outside 20 December to 5 January, when our Christmas and New Year rate applies.
• Chinars and a calm lake, no snow needed: November.
• Blossom and maybe the first tulips, with snow still up high: the second half of March.

Kashmir in November: is it worth going?

November is the quiet shoulder month. Srinagar averages about 16°C by day and 1°C at night, so evenings already need a proper jacket. The chinars in the Mughal gardens are still red and gold into November, the lake is calm, and you have Srinagar before the Christmas crowds.

Don't come in November for snow. Gulmarg averages 9°C by day and just below freezing at night, and early snow in the mountains tends to be light and to melt within days. Sunset in Srinagar moves from about 5:40 pm to 5:20 pm over the month, so day trips start early.

Two sets of closures matter in November. Chandanwari and Baisaran near Pahalgam, Sinthan Top, and Baba Reshi near Gulmarg are shut to visitors by official order until at least 31 December 2026. The Gulmarg Gondola also closes for maintenance on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, which this November means the 9th and the 23rd.

Kashmir in December: will there be snow?

December is when the cold arrives; the snow is less punctual. Srinagar averages about 10°C by day and −2°C at night, Gulmarg about 5°C and −5°C. The 2025-26 season's first snowfall came on 20–21 December, and Srinagar's first snow of 2024-25 held off until 27 December, when it ended a long dry spell and disrupted flights and roads.

On 21 December Chillai Kalan begins: the 40 days Kashmiris count as the harshest of the year, running to about 30 January. Freezing nights are close to certain in this stretch, snow less so. Days are at their shortest, with sunset in Srinagar around 5:20–5:30 pm.

Christmas and New Year fill the snow resorts. Gulmarg's hotels were close to full over New Year 2025-26, and the tourism department plans its usual seven-day New Year carnival in Gulmarg again this season. If those dates are fixed for you, book rooms and gondola tickets early and allow time for queues at the gondola and the snow 4x4 stand.

Kashmir in January: how cold is Chillai Kalan?

January is the coldest month. Srinagar averages 7°C by day and about −2°C at night, Gulmarg 1°C and about −8°C, and Srinagar's record January low is −14.4°C. On 10 January 2026 shikara rides were stopped because parts of Dal Lake had frozen. It's also the month snow is most likely to be lying in Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Aru, and the ski season is usually running.

It's also the month most likely to upset a schedule. On 23 January 2026 heavy snow closed Srinagar airport for the day, shut the Jammu–Srinagar highway and stopped local trains, though the Vande Bharat from Katra kept running. If you fly in January, leave a spare day before your flight home.

Chillai Kalan ends around 30 January, but the calendar keeps going: Kashmiris count a further 20 days of Chillai Khurd and 10 of Chillai Bachha, which take you to about the start of March.

Kashmir in February: the best month for snow?

For snow on the ground, February is usually the strongest bet, especially in Gulmarg. It's one of Gulmarg's wettest months, daytime highs average under 2°C, and mid-January to late February is the peak of the ski season. Days are longer as well: by mid-February the sun sets in Srinagar after 6 pm.

Usually isn't always. February 2026 brought 14.2 mm of rain and snow against a normal of 130.4 mm, an 89% shortfall. A year earlier, the Khelo India Winter Games events due in Gulmarg on 22–25 February 2025 were postponed for lack of snow, and the president of Gulmarg's tourist guide association said 30–40% of skiing packages had been cancelled.

Kashmir in March: snow, blossom or rain?

By March the city is thawing. Srinagar averages about 16°C by day and 4°C at night, and March is the city's wettest month (about 105 mm), which at those temperatures usually means rain rather than snow. The almond garden at Badamwari, below Hari Parbat, flowers in March; it was already in bloom on 10 March 2026. The Tulip Garden usually opens in the last week of March, though in 2026 it opened on 16 March after an unusually warm February.

Higher up, winter hangs on. Gulmarg still averages about 5°C by day and −3°C at night, March is another of its wettest months, and the slopes usually hold snow well into the month. Pahalgam, lower and milder at about 13°C by day, loses its snow in town much faster.

What's open in Kashmir in winter?

The classic route stays open all winter. What changes is how you get there, and a handful of places are closed by order. Since the Z-Morh tunnel opened in January 2025, even Sonamarg stays reachable through the cold months.

• Srinagar: open all winter. We take guests to Nishat and Shalimar and onto the lake right through the season, ice permitting.
• Gulmarg: open. After snow, only 4x4 vehicles fitted with anti-skid chains may drive up from Tangmarg. The gondola shuts on the 2nd and 4th Mondays, and Phase 2 often stops in strong wind.
• Sonamarg: open all twelve months since the tunnel, the Sonamarg Development Authority says. Heavy snow or an avalanche warning can still close the road for a day, and the Thajiwas glacier walk beyond the town stays shut until spring.
• Pahalgam: the town is open, and Betaab Valley and Aru aren't on the closure list, though the Aru road shuts after a heavy fall until it's cleared. Chandanwari and Baisaran are closed by order until at least 31 December 2026.
• Doodhpathri: reopened in mid-February 2026 after about ten months shut, and visitors were playing in its snow on 17 February. Check the road on the morning you go.
• Gurez: not a winter trip. In January 2026 access was suspended when snow closed the Razdan Pass.

How do fog, snow and roads affect flights and drives?

Winter delays here usually come from fog or heavy snow. Dense fog can hold up morning flights at Srinagar until visibility lifts; on 3 January 2025 every flight was delayed. Heavy snow is worse, as on 23 January 2026, when all flights were cancelled for the day.

On the ground, the Jammu–Srinagar highway closes when snow builds up between Qazigund and Banihal. In snow the police allow only vehicles with anti-skid chains to Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, and in January 2026 they weren't letting anything carrying more than 10 passengers go up to Gulmarg. Rail is a useful fallback: a direct Vande Bharat has run between Jammu and Srinagar since 2 May 2026, six days a week.

We'd book an afternoon flight home rather than an early one and, in January, keep a spare day. And don't book a non-refundable onward flight for the day you leave Kashmir.

When does Gulmarg's ski season really work?

Plan skiing for January to mid-March. December works in a good year, but recent Decembers started late, and the peak runs from mid-January to late February.

The government's Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering runs its 2026-27 courses in Gulmarg from 20 December to 13 March, a fair outline of the season, and our own ski trips run from 5 January to 14 March 2027. If you're going up for the gondola rather than for skiing, read our gondola booking guide before you fix the date.

There's no artificial snow to fall back on, either. In October 2026 the tourism director said consultants were still preparing the project report for snowmaking at Kongdoori, and nobody has put a date on when it might be built.