Fresh snow fell on the upper reaches of Kashmir on Tuesday 13 October 2026 while rain and gusty winds lashed the plains, including Srinagar, bringing down daytime temperatures across the Valley, Kashmir Observer reported. The snowfall at high altitudes marked the first widespread snow of the season in several mountain areas.
Snow was reported at Gulmarg, Sonamarg, the Gurez Valley, the Zojila axis, Razdan Pass in Bandipora, Wussan in Ganderbal, Sadhna Top and Sinthan Top. Mount Affarwat and areas near Harmukh Peak also received snowfall, the report said. Snow depth was measured at 2.2 centimetres at Gulmarg and 1.2 centimetres at Pahalgam, a thin cover that signals how early in the season this spell has come.
Temperatures in the plains dropped sharply. Srinagar recorded a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius, which was 2.8 degrees below normal, and a minimum of 11.2 degrees, 4.9 degrees above normal, because cloud cover held night temperatures up. Gulmarg reached 11.8 degrees and Pahalgam 14.2 degrees. The contrast between cooler days and warmer nights is typical of cloudy, wet weather in the Valley.
The Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain at many places through 15 October, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms and hailstorms. Conditions are expected to improve on 16 October, and mainly dry weather is forecast from 17 to 24 October, according to the same report. For travellers planning trips to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, the dry spell after the 15th may be the better time to visit.
Officials have issued advisories. Farmers were told to ensure the safe storage of harvested apples, paddy and other crops because of the rain and wind risk, and travellers were warned about slippery roads on mountain passes during the wet spell. Apple harvesting in the Valley normally runs from early September to the third week of October, and one travel guide reported that nearly 90 percent of the apple crop had already been picked by mid-October, a figure IndiaX24 could not verify from an official source.
The Hans India described the snowfall as the first of the season on the mountain passes and said Gulmarg treated tourists to fresh snow. A travel guide said the Valley produces close to 75 percent of India’s apples, a figure that IndiaX24 could not confirm from an official source, and that early snow in Srinagar or Pahalgam is rare. The Met office’s numbers are the reliable part of the story: a thin snow cover of 2.2 centimetres at Gulmarg, a maximum of 20 degrees in Srinagar and a clear forecast from 17 October.
Saffron harvesting in Pampore usually starts in late October, so growers will be watching whether the weather clears in time. Snow on the Zojila axis also matters because the pass links Kashmir with Ladakh, and early snow can affect the traffic on the road. The reports reviewed did not mention any road closure. IndiaX24 will report on the Meteorological Department’s updated forecast and on any advisories for the passes and the highway. Readers should treat the dry-spell forecast as a forecast, not a guarantee.
Featured image: Gulmarg in Kashmir (file photo, 21 October 2023). Photo by Hellohappy, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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