Gilgit climate
Gilgit is warmest in July, with average highs of 31 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -7.1 °C. March is the wettest month (137 mm) and December the driest (74 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Gilgit averages 1,291 mm of rain, 98 days above 25 °C and 130 days below freezing.
Pakistan · population 216,760 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 31 °C
- Coldest month January -7.1 °C
- Driest month December 74 mm
- Wettest month March 137 mm
- Least cloud July 37 % cloud
- Hottest on record August 39 °C
- Coldest on record December -21 °C
What to expectGilgit through the year
Gilgit has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from -0.9 °C in January to 31 °C in July, a swing of 30 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 98 days a year reach 25 °C, 42 of them reach 30 °C, 130 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 39 °C, in August.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 74 mm in December to 137 mm in March. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -0.9 °C | 82 mm | 64 % |
| February | 1.9 °C | 111 mm | 67 % |
| March | 6.2 °C | 137 mm | 66 % |
| April | 11.1 °C | 128 mm | 61 % |
| May | 17.5 °C | 135 mm | 55 % |
| June | 25.9 °C | 113 mm | 41 % |
| July | 30.6 °C | 107 mm | 37 % |
| August | 30.2 °C | 116 mm | 41 % |
| September | 25.5 °C | 116 mm | 40 % |
| October | 15.4 °C | 98 mm | 41 % |
| November | 6.5 °C | 74 mm | 49 % |
| December | 1.0 °C | 74 mm | 56 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -0.9 °C | -7.1 °C | -3.7 °C | 16.4 °C | -19.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| February | 1.9 °C | -4.5 °C | -1.0 °C | 15.6 °C | -16.6 °C | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| March | 6.2 °C | -1.2 °C | 2.8 °C | 19.7 °C | -14.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| April | 11.1 °C | 2.6 °C | 7.4 °C | 23.0 °C | -11.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| May | 17.5 °C | 7.5 °C | 13.3 °C | 30.9 °C | -4.3 °C | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| June | 25.9 °C | 14.4 °C | 21.0 °C | 37.1 °C | -0.1 °C | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| July | 30.6 °C | 20.4 °C | 26.2 °C | 39.3 °C | 11.0 °C | 30 | 17 | 0 |
| August | 30.2 °C | 20.5 °C | 25.9 °C | 39.4 °C | 8.4 °C | 30 | 16 | 0 |
| September | 25.5 °C | 15.7 °C | 21.1 °C | 35.6 °C | -0.9 °C | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| October | 15.4 °C | 5.3 °C | 10.8 °C | 30.2 °C | -17.3 °C | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| November | 6.5 °C | -2.1 °C | 2.5 °C | 23.3 °C | -16.7 °C | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| December | 1.0 °C | -6.0 °C | -2.2 °C | 19.7 °C | -20.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 26 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 82 mm | 13 | 10.0 h/day | 64 % | 61 % | 2.5 km/h |
| February | 111 mm | 14 | 11 h/day | 67 % | 65 % | 2.3 km/h |
| March | 137 mm | 16 | 12 h/day | 66 % | 68 % | 2.3 km/h |
| April | 128 mm | 13 | 13 h/day | 61 % | 68 % | 2.4 km/h |
| May | 135 mm | 14 | 14 h/day | 55 % | 68 % | 2.5 km/h |
| June | 113 mm | 15 | 15 h/day | 41 % | 63 % | 2.8 km/h |
| July | 107 mm | 17 | 14 h/day | 37 % | 62 % | 2.8 km/h |
| August | 116 mm | 19 | 14 h/day | 41 % | 63 % | 2.8 km/h |
| September | 116 mm | 17 | 12 h/day | 40 % | 64 % | 2.8 km/h |
| October | 98 mm | 12 | 11 h/day | 41 % | 59 % | 2.7 km/h |
| November | 74 mm | 9 | 10 h/day | 49 % | 55 % | 2.6 km/h |
| December | 74 mm | 11 | 9.7 h/day | 56 % | 58 % | 2.5 km/h |
How Gilgit compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilgit | 31 °C | -7.1 °C | 1,291 mm | 98 |
| Skardu · Pakistan | 25 °C | -13 °C | 1,090 mm | 27 |
| Battagram · Pakistan | 31 °C | -0.1 °C | 1,386 mm | 167 |
| Muzaffarābād · Pakistan | 32 °C | -0.7 °C | 1,271 mm | 188 |
| Srinagar · India | 26 °C | -4.5 °C | 2,592 mm | 61 |
| Mingora · Pakistan | 32 °C | -0.7 °C | 1,388 mm | 173 |
| Dhirkot · Pakistan | 27 °C | -4.7 °C | 1,548 mm | 75 |
Where Gilgit ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The coolest places in Asia in May | 19thof 50 | 18 °C |
| The coolest places in Asia in April | 20thof 50 | 11 °C |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Gilgit.
QuestionsCommon questions about Gilgit’s climate
When is the best time to visit Gilgit?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, August, September sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and December the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Gilgit get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 31 °C. About 42 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 39 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average -7.1 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 130 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Gilgit?
March, averaging 137 mm over 16 days with rain. The driest month is December with 74 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,291 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Gilgit rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.