Skardu climate
Skardu (Pakistan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 354 mm14 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Skardu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −818 | −327 | 341.3 |
| Feb | 440 | −622 | −131 | 411.6 |
| Mar | 948 | 031 | 440 | 411.6 |
| Apr | 1559 | 643 | 1151 | 421.7 |
| May | 2068 | 1050 | 1559 | 291.1 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 311.2 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1762 | 2373 | 301.2 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1762 | 2373 | 331.3 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1254 | 1865 | 210.8 |
| Oct | 1762 | 745 | 1253 | 120.5 |
| Nov | 1050 | 134 | 642 | 230.9 |
| Dec | 541 | −524 | 032 | 170.7 |
| Year | 2985 | −818 | 1151 | 35414 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 79% | 1.8 | 10:01 |
| Feb | 75% | 81% | 2.1 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 68% | 84% | 3.2 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 59% | 84% | 4.5 | 13:02 |
| May | 53% | 84% | 5.7 | 14:00 |
| Jun | 46% | 79% | 6.3 | 14:31 |
| Jul | 45% | 71% | 6.5 | 14:19 |
| Aug | 47% | 70% | 6.0 | 13:29 |
| Sep | 45% | 67% | 5.1 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 42% | 69% | 4.0 | 11:13 |
| Nov | 50% | 75% | 2.7 | 10:15 |
| Dec | 60% | 77% | 1.9 | 9:47 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Skardu is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −8 °C18 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.8 °C46.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 354 mm14 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 35% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October and December. The wettest month is April (42 mm1.7 in), the driest is October (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 42% in October to 75% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 67%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in October to 5 km/h (3 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Skardu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 21 mm0.8 in to 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Skardu
- Winter (December–February) — highs 236 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −818 to −5 °C24 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 031 to 10 °C50 °F, about 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1457 to 17 °C62 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 134 to 12 °C54 °F, about 19 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Skardu compares
Compared with Srinagar, about 155 km to the southwest, Skardu is on average 5.2 °C9.4 °F cooler and receives 54% less precipitation (354 mm14 in vs 772 mm30 in). The difference is largest in January (7.2 °C12.9 °F cooler).
Of the 92 places in Pakistan covered by World Climates, Skardu is the 92nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 37th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Pakistan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Ghazni (Afghanistan, Dfa), Gölbaşı (Turkey, Dsa) and Gardez (Afghanistan, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Gilgit 138 km · 16 °C60 °F · 263 mm10 in
- Srinagar 155 km · 16 °C61 °F · 772 mm30 in
- Anantnag 180 km · 16 °C60 °F · 828 mm33 in
- Muzaffarabad 223 km · 21 °C70 °F · 853 mm34 in
- Dhirkot 234 km · 15 °C60 °F · 883 mm35 in
- Battagram 248 km · 19 °C67 °F · 853 mm34 in
- Abbottabad 256 km · 18 °C65 °F · 988 mm39 in
- Jammu 294 km · 25 °C76 °F · 917 mm36 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Skardu?
July is the warmest month in Skardu, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Skardu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (18 °F).
When does it rain the most in Skardu?
April is the wettest month with about 42 mm (1.7 in) of precipitation; October is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Skardu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 3,918 m, while Skardu lies at about 2,241 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +10.9 °C19.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.