Gilgit weather in January

In January, Gilgit sees average daytime highs of -12°C and overnight lows near -19°C, with 81 mm of precipitation across 13 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gilgit's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gilgit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
81 mm
13 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:18 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
2 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Gilgit is city in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

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 -12°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gilgit reaches about -12°C in the afternoon and slips back to -19°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and -7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Gilgit

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.

Gilgit weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-12° / -19°811314.59.80.0
Feb-9° / -16°11114.415.610.60.0
Mar-4° / -13°13916.116.811.70.0
Apr / -8°12713.313.512.90.0
May / -4°12014.210.713.90.6
Jun14° / 11415.52.114.43.7
Jul19° / 11119.20.114.25.2
Aug19° / 11320.30.113.45.0
Sep14° / 11418.33.312.23.6
Oct / -7°9212.510.311.10.4
Nov-6° / -15°709.710.410.10.0
Dec-11° / -19°7111.612.79.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44258
54258
64159
74060
84060
93961
103961
113961
123862
133862
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223862
233664
243664
253664
263664
273664
283664
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Gilgit gets around 81 mm of rain and snow over 13 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 42% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13943
24043
34043
44043
54043
64044
74044
84144
94145
104145
114146
124146
134146
144146
154147
164147
174147
184248
194248
204248
214248
224349
234349
244349
254349
264449
274449
284449
294550
304550
314550

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 2 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 2 km/h on the calmest days to 2 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
12calm
22calm
32calm
42calm
52calm
62calm
72calm
82calm
92calm
102calm
112calm
122calm
132calm
142calm
152calm
162calm
172calm
182calm
192calm
202calm
212calm
222calm
232calm
242calm
252calm
262calm
272calm
282calm
292calm
302calm
312calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:184:54
29.67:184:55
39.67:184:55
49.67:184:56
59.67:184:57
69.77:194:58
79.77:194:58
89.77:194:59
99.77:195:00
109.77:195:01
119.77:185:02
129.77:185:03
139.87:185:04
149.87:185:05
159.87:185:05
169.87:185:06
179.87:175:07
189.97:175:08
199.97:175:09
209.97:165:10
219.97:165:11
229.97:165:12
2310.07:155:13
2410.07:155:14
2510.07:145:15
2610.07:145:16
2710.17:135:17
2810.17:135:18
2910.17:125:19
3010.17:125:20
3110.27:115:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.03 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.33 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Gilgit?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gilgit.

What to pack for Gilgit in January

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

In January, Gilgit sees daytime highs around -12°C and nights near -19°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Gilgit in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gilgit peaks around May 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateMay 19UV 13Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr12Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Gilgit in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Gilgit is worst in January — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (September, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1630 µg/m³Sep 1312 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb29Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct15Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gilgit?

Gilgit sits at 35.9°N, 74.3°E, 1,467 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Hunza, 55 km away.

SkarduMuzaffarabadMurreeIshqoshimIslamabadĀsmārKhorugh

Topography around Gilgit

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gilgit has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,690 m around an average of 1,781 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,952 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,102 m.

The land around Gilgit is covered by bare terrain (54%) within 3 km, bare terrain (54%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (38%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,690 m
16 km
3,952 m
80 km
7,102 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Hunza 55 km · Skardu 138 km · Muzaffarabad 188 km · Murree 239 km · Ishqoshim 258 km · Islamabad 270 km · Āsmār 285 km · Khorugh 302 km

Pakistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,596
2025
Happiness
4.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 493
Religion
Muslim 96%Hindu 2%Christian 1%

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 Gilgit (35.9187°, 74.3124°, elevation 1,467 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).