Leh weather in January

In January, Leh sees average daytime highs of -15°C and overnight lows near -25°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Leh's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Leh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-15°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-25°
1st coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:30 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
62%
11th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Leh is city, one of the capitals of Ladakh, India.

Density
1/km²
people per km²
Founded
~800 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -15°C through the month.

A typical January day in Leh reaches about -15°C in the afternoon and slips back to -25°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -20°C and -10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-15-26
2-15-26
3-15-26
4-15-26
5-15-25
6-15-25
7-15-25
8-15-25
9-15-25
10-15-25
11-15-25
12-15-25
13-15-25
14-15-25
15-15-25
16-15-25
17-15-25
18-15-25
19-15-25
20-15-25
21-15-25
22-15-25
23-15-25
24-15-24
25-15-24
26-15-24
27-15-24
28-15-24
29-14-24
30-14-24
31-14-24

How January really feels in Leh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Leh weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-15° / -25°236.610.4100.0
Feb-13° / -22°30811.410.70.0
Mar-9° / -18°359.211.611.70.0
Apr-4° / -15°369.210.512.80.0
May / -10°399.99.413.80.0
Jun / -4°389.8614.21.6
Jul15° / 4511.71.9144.3
Aug16° / 5413.61.113.34.6
Sep11° / -1°308.13.412.22.9
Oct / -11°1344.311.10.2
Nov-6° / -19°144.1610.20.0
Dec-13° / -24°165.17.19.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34654
44654
54555
64456
74357
84258
94159
104159
114258
124159
134159
144060
154060
164060
173961
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
253961
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Leh gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11727
21728
31829
41829
51830
61931
71931
82032
92033
102133
112134
122134
132234
142234
152234
162235
172235
182235
192235
202235
212235
222235
232235
242235
252234
262234
272134
282234
292234
302234
312335

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:30 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:305:16
29.87:305:16
39.87:305:17
49.87:315:18
59.87:315:18
69.87:315:19
79.87:315:20
89.87:315:21
99.87:315:22
109.97:315:22
119.97:315:23
129.97:315:24
139.97:315:25
149.97:315:26
159.97:315:27
1610.07:305:28
1710.07:305:28
1810.07:305:29
1910.07:305:30
2010.07:295:31
2110.17:295:32
2210.17:295:33
2310.17:285:34
2410.17:285:35
2510.17:275:36
2610.27:275:37
2710.27:265:38
2810.27:265:39
2910.27:255:40
3010.37:255:41
3110.37:245:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.48 kWh/m² to a high of 8.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.79 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
224.0Moderate
234.0Moderate
244.0Bright
254.0Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Leh?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Leh.

What to pack for Leh in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Leh sees daytime highs around -15°C and nights near -25°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Leh in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Leh peaks around June 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateExtremeVery highModerateJun 19UV 15Jan 11UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb7High
Mar11Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun15Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Leh?

Leh sits at 34.2°N, 77.6°E, 3,502 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Skardu, 218 km away.

SkarduSialkotShimlaGilgitHunzaMuzaffarabadAmritsarMurree

Topography around Leh

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Leh.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Leh has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 842 m around an average of 3,615 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,635 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,688 m.

The land around Leh is covered by bare terrain (80%) within 3 km, bare terrain (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
842 m
16 km
2,635 m
80 km
4,688 m
grasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Skardu 218 km · Sialkot 339 km · Shimla 343 km · Gilgit 356 km · Hunza 358 km · Muzaffarabad 379 km · Amritsar 379 km · Murree 387 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Leh (34.165°, 77.584°, elevation 3,502 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).