Kashmir in January: snow, cold, roads and what’s open

Is January a good time to visit Kashmir?

It is if you want cold weather, snow on the mountains and skiing, and can live with the trade-offs:

• For: Gulmarg’s ski season, with courses at the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM) running through the month, and Gulmarg is the coldest and wettest of the stations below on 1991–2020 averages.
• Against: nights below freezing at every station, about 10 hours between sunrise and sunset, and heavy snow that can close roads and stop flights for a day or more.
• Not certain: snow in Srinagar itself. In 2026 the plains of the valley were still without snow on 9 January.

The trade-offs of every other month are in the best time to visit Kashmir.

January weather by place

*Average day high and night low. Rain or snow is measured as water, and wet days have at least 2.5 mm. WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 for the IMD stations at Srinagar (42027), Qazigund (42044), Pahalgam (42028) and Gulmarg (42026), published by NOAA NCEI. Qazigund is at the valley end of the 8.5 km road tunnel to Banihal, on the Jammu–Srinagar highway.

January is the coldest month at all four stations, and it is wetter than December: Srinagar averages 63.6 mm of rain and snow in January against 27.2 mm in December, and Gulmarg 161.3 mm against 74.1 mm. Real nights can be far colder than the averages. On the night of 7 January 2026 Gulmarg fell to −9.2°C and Pahalgam to −8.6°C, PTI reported in Siasat, and the coldest January night in Srinagar’s station record is −14.4°C, on 31 January 1893. Every month is in Kashmir weather month by month.

Will it snow? The last three Januaries

Probably on the mountains, but the averages count rain and snow together, so they can’t say how often it snows. In each of the last three Januaries, snow came late or barely at all:

For the best chance of snow, plan around Gulmarg: it is the coldest of the stations, and in an average January it gets more than twice Srinagar’s rain and snow. Snow reports for the whole winter are in Kashmir in winter and Gulmarg weather.

January 2026, day by day

What the last January looked like for travellers:

1. 7 Jan 2026
   Gulmarg fell to −9.2°C and Pahalgam to −8.6°C overnight, and the fringes of several water bodies froze, PTI reported in Siasat.
2. 11 Jan 2026
   The Mughal Road reopened after seven days closed, for traffic between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm only, News On Air reported.
3. 14 Jan 2026
   Parts of Dal Lake froze after a night of −5.2°C in Srinagar, PTI reported in Kashmir Reader.
4. 23 Jan 2026
   Heavy snow. Traffic on the Jammu–Srinagar highway (NH 44) stopped in both directions because of snow in and around the Navyug tunnel, and the Mughal, SSG and Sinthan roads closed, News On Air reported. All flights to and from Srinagar were cancelled, according to Skymet, and most trains stopped until the afternoon, Greater Kashmir reported.
5. 24 Jan 2026
   With the highway and the airport still shut, the Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat “continued to operate, running through snow-covered tracks”, ETV Bharat reported.
6. 25 Jan 2026
   The highway stayed closed for a third day, with hundreds of vehicles stranded, PTI reported in Siasat. Gulmarg’s main ski slopes, including Phase II up to the Bowl, were due to be fully open from this day, after about six feet of snow at Phase II, Greater Kashmir reported.
7. 27 Jan 2026
   Snow and poor visibility cancelled 58 flights at Srinagar, Kashmir Life reported.
8. 28 Jan 2026
   Gulmarg’s hotels were at 100% occupancy after the snow, the chief executive of the Gulmarg Development Authority said, and Sonamarg’s were above 70%, Greater Kashmir reported.
9. 31 Jan 2026
   Chillai Kalan was over, and the 20-day Chillai Khurd began, PTI reported in Greater Kashmir.

Chillai Kalan: what it means for a trip

Chillai Kalan, a Persian term meaning “Major Cold”, is the 40-day period when Kashmir has its harshest winter, Kashmir Life explains. It starts on 21 December, so in 2026–27 it begins on Monday 21 December 2026. Sources differ on the last day: for 2025–26 PTI gave 30 January, in Kashmir Reader, and Outlook India 31 January.

Two shorter spells follow: Chillai Khurd (“small cold”), 20 days from 31 January to 19 February, and Chillai Bachha (“baby cold”), 10 days from 20 February to 2 March, according to The Quint. So the cold doesn’t stop when Chillai Kalan ends: Gulmarg’s average February night is still −6.4°C; see Kashmir in February.

First week or last week?

Sunrise and sunset for Srinagar from the US Naval Observatory, for a flat horizon. Course dates from IISM; the rest is sourced in the sections below.

No week is reliably snowier. In 2024 the first snow after a long dry spell came on 26 January, and in 2026 the heaviest came on 23 January, while in 2025 the first three weeks were 81% short of normal. Days lengthen by about half an hour over the month, which matters for day trips: Quick day out in Go Kashmir plans a day that leaves at 08:00 and gets you back before dark.

Is Dal Lake frozen in January?

Parts of it can freeze in a cold spell. On 14 January 2026 “parts of the famous Dal Lake” froze after Srinagar fell to −5.2°C, PTI reported in Kashmir Reader. We found no recent report of the whole lake freezing, and Srinagar’s average January night, −1.9°C, is milder than that. For boat fares, see Dal Lake shikara ride prices.

Is Gulmarg open in January?

Yes. Gulmarg is not on the official list of closed destinations as on 7 July 2026. Four places listed under Tangmarg, the town below Gulmarg, are closed to tourists: Babareshi, Ringawali, Gogaldara and Baderkote, under orders that run to 31 December 2026.

• Skiing: IISM’s 14-day courses at Gulmarg run from 20 December 2026 to 2 January, 3 to 16 January and 17 to 30 January, and the next starts on 31 January. Booking opens at 10:00 on 12 November 2026, and fees are ₹10,000 up to age 25 and ₹20,000 above, IISM’s schedule says. The whole season is in Gulmarg weather.
• Snow for skiing: not guaranteed early in the month. In 2026 the main slopes were due to open fully only from 25 January, after the heavy snow of 23 January.
• The Gondola: runs in winter, but weather can stop it. In February 2025 the cable car corporation suspended both phases, at Kongdoori and Affarwat, “due to adverse weather conditions” and promised full refunds, The Tribune reported. Phase 2 “stops more often than Phase 1”, says Travel Coffee, and under a JKCCC maintenance notice in force since July 2026 the Gondola “shall remain closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month for preventive maintenance”. In January 2027 those are 11 and 25 January. Book only through the official JKCCC site, which links to its e-ticket portal; see Gondola tickets.
• Book early: Gulmarg recorded “nearly 100 per cent occupancy for the New Year week” of 2026, News On Air reported, and its hotels were full again after the late-January snow.
• Getting there: an estimated 1½–2¼ hours by road from Srinagar, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 23 October 2026, and snow can add a lot. “During winter, the taxi will only take you to Tangmarg, about 14 kilometers from Gulmarg”, with a 4×4 with snow chains for the last stretch, says one Srinagar operator, which also notes that December–February rates “go up 10–15%”. Fares are in Srinagar taxi fares.
• Avalanches: the J&K Disaster Management Authority issues warnings by district and height. On 3 January 2025, for example, it warned of medium danger above 2,400 m over Bandipora and advised people “to avoid venturing along the avalanche path and dial 112”, Greater Kashmir reported. In January 2026 the chief executive of the Gulmarg Development Authority advised visitors to use “only the specified ski tracks for skiing”.

Pahalgam and Sonamarg in January

• Pahalgam: 4.9°C by day and −6.1°C at night on January averages, and an estimated 2½–3½ hours by road from Srinagar, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 23 October 2026. The town is not on the closure list, but Baisaran, Chandanwari and Tulian Lake are closed to tourists under orders that run to 31 December 2026. See the Pahalgam guide.
• Sonamarg: the Sonamarg tunnel, inaugurated on 13 January 2025, gives “all-weather connectivity between Sonamarg and Gagangeer”, News On Air reported, and Sonamarg had 87,693 visitors from 1 to 27 January 2026, Greater Kashmir reported. Heavy snow can still close the Srinagar–Sonamarg–Gumri (SSG) road, as it did on 23 January 2026. The drive takes an estimated 2–3 hours by road, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 23 October 2026. See the Sonamarg guide.

Roads in January

Snow closes roads at short notice, and a closure can last days. On 24 January 2026, for example, the Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, SSG Road, Zojila Pass, Razdan Pass and Margan Top were all closed, as well as the Jammu highway, according to ETV Bharat.

• Jammu–Srinagar highway (NH 44): closed by snow from 23 January 2026 and still shut on the third day, as above. See Jammu to Srinagar.
• Mughal Road: “The Mughal Road remains closed during the winter months due to heavy snowfall and slippery road conditions”, News On Air reported in February 2026. In January 2026 it reopened on 11 January for traffic between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm only, and snow closed it again on 23 January.
• Zoji La, towards Ladakh: BRO records show the road closing on 31 December 2020, 4 January 2022 and 6 January 2023, Kashmir Reader reported. In 2025–26 the BRO kept the pass open “throughout winters for the first time ever”, The Tribune reported, but snow still shut it for days at a time: it partly reopened on 2 January 2026, one way only, after four days closed, Kashmir Life reported, and it was closed again on 24 January. See Srinagar to Leh by road.
• Gurez: the road over Razdan Pass closed after snow on 21 January 2025, Kashmir Life reported, and was closed on 24 January 2026. This autumn, snow closed the Bandipora–Gurez road on 15 October 2026, ANI reported, and later that day it was partly restored, for vehicles from Bandipora to Gurez only, a Border Roads Organisation official told Kashmir News Service. We found no later report by 24 October. See the Gurez guide.

Flights and trains in January

• Flights: fog and snow both delay Srinagar flights. On 6 January 2025 snow pushed every airline’s flights to after 9:30 am, after two days of fog delays, diversions and cancellations, Kashmir Life reported; all flights were cancelled on 23 January 2026, and 58 on 27 January. Srinagar averages about one day of fog in January (1.1 days) in the station normals. See the Srinagar airport guide.
• Trains: since 2 May 2026 Vande Bharat trains have run between Jammu Tawi and Srinagar in about 4 hours 50 minutes; see Vande Bharat to Srinagar. In January 2026 the Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat kept running when the highway and the airport were shut, though snow stopped most trains until the afternoon of 23 January, and on 25 January two Baramulla–Banihal trains were cut short at Budgam and a third was cancelled for the day, Kashmir Life reported.

What’s on and what’s open in January 2027

• Shab-e-Meraj: Muslims in Kashmir mark the night with prayers, and at the Hazratbal shrine the Moi-e-Muqaddas, a relic “believed to be a strand of the Prophet’s (PBUH) hair”, is displayed after every prayer the next day, Kashmir Life reported in 2026. It follows the Hijri calendar, which moves about 11 days earlier each year: it fell on the night of 27–28 January in 2025, according to Kashmir Reader, and of 16–17 January in 2026, so in 2027 it is likely in early January. The 2027 date is not announced yet (checked 23 October 2026). Visiting rules and the other relic days are in our Hazratbal Shrine guide.
• Skiing: IISM courses at Gulmarg run all month, as above.

• Keep a spare day either side of a flight or the drive to Jammu, in case snow stops them.
• Book Gulmarg hotels and Gondola tickets early, and avoid 11 and 25 January for the Gondola.
• Check the closure list again after 1 January 2027, when the current orders have ended.
• Call a Traffic Control Unit before driving to Jammu, Sonamarg or Gurez.

What to wear in January

Dress for days around freezing in Gulmarg and nights below freezing everywhere. The ski institute’s clothing list for trainees on its Gulmarg snow skiing courses makes a good checklist:

• Woollen inner wear, vest and trousers
• A feather jacket and a windproof, waterproof jacket
• A cap or balaclava, and gloves
• Goggles or sunglasses, sun cream and lip cream
• Woollen socks, and trekking shoes or gumboots

From the general instructions and clothing list of IISM Gulmarg. Read 23 Oct 2026.

Kashmiris have kept warm through the winter with the pheran, a “long woolen gown” worn by men and women, and the kangri, “a traditional earthen firepot”, according to The Quint; ETV Bharat said in December 2024 that this “is still the practice today”.

January questions