Skardu in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Skardu sees average daytime highs around -11°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 227 mm of precipitation over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -11°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Skardu's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Skardu's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -11°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -18°C
- Precipitation
- 227 mm
- 40 wet days
- Avg wind
- 3 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Skardu in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -11°C.
A typical winter day in Skardu reaches about -11°C and drops to -18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Skardu
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Skardu weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -12° / -19° | 72 | 13.6 | 15.7 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -9° / -16° | 95 | 14.6 | 16.4 | 10.7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -5° / -13° | 111 | 16.1 | 17.1 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | -1° / -10° | 108 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 12.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 3° / -6° | 90 | 13.8 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 9° / -2° | 87 | 11.1 | 4.5 | 14.3 | 1.9 |
| Jul | 17° / 6° | 148 | 17.9 | 0.3 | 14.1 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 17° / 6° | 136 | 19.3 | 0.2 | 13.3 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 12° / 1° | 111 | 17.5 | 4.9 | 12.2 | 2.7 |
| Oct | 2° / -11° | 59 | 11.4 | 10.3 | 11.1 | 0.2 |
| Nov | -7° / -17° | 53 | 9.2 | 10 | 10.1 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -11° / -19° | 60 | 11.8 | 12.8 | 9.7 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Skardu gets around 227 mm of rain and snow over 40 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 3 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.6 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Skardu?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Skardu.
What to pack for Skardu in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Skardu sees daytime highs around -11°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 40 days see rain.
UV index in Skardu in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Skardu peaks around May 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 15 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 14 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Skardu in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Skardu is worst in January — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 23 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 21 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Moderate |
| Feb | 21 | Moderate |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 12 | Moderate |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 21 | Moderate |
Where is Skardu?
Skardu sits at 35.3°N, 75.6°E, 2,241 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Gilgit, 138 km away.
Topography around Skardu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Skardu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Skardu has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m around an average of 2,263 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,143 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,010 m.
The land around Skardu is covered by bare terrain (51%) within 3 km, bare terrain (65%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (44%) and grassland (25%) within 80 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
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 Skardu (35.2979°, 75.6337°, elevation 2,241 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.