Coldest Places in Pakistan and Their Winter Temperatures

The coldest place in Pakistan on record is Skardu, where the temperature fell to minus 24.1°C on 7 January 1995. Skardu is also the town that most often tops the Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) list of coldest places on cold winter nights, with recent readings between about minus 18°C and minus 21°C. Other records come from Naran, Quetta, Kalat, Dir and Gilgit. The highest ground, such as Deosai and the passes, is colder still but has no long weather station record.

This guide ranks the places that have the best-documented low temperatures and explains what the numbers mean if you are planning a winter trip. For the seasons in general, see our when to go guide.

Record lows are from the Wikipedia list of extreme weather records in Pakistan, which gives the date where one is known. Recent PMD readings, reported by ARY, Tribune and others, are quoted in the text.

1. Skardu: the coldest place with a weather record

Skardu sits at roughly 2,230 metres in a broad valley ringed by mountains. Wikipedia's climate table gives a mean low of about minus 5.6°C in December, minus 8°C in January and minus 4.4°C in February, with daytime highs of about 3 to 6.5°C, and notes that temperatures can drop below minus 10°C in the December to January midwinter.

Recent PMD figures reported in the press have put Skardu at minus 18°C on some of the coldest nights and minus 21°C on others, ahead of everywhere else in the country. These are extreme nights, not the daily norm.

Skardu is one of the few places on this list where people actually spend the winter as visitors. Flights and the road from Islamabad can be disrupted by snow, and heating in hotels varies. Our Skardu in winter page covers what stays open.

2. Naran and the Kaghan valley

Wikipedia's records list Naran at minus 23.9°C, though it gives no date, so treat it as a claimed rather than dated figure. Naran (about 2,400 metres) is effectively a summer destination; winter snow closes the road above the lower valley. Our Naran in winter guide has the practical picture.

3. Quetta, Kalat and the Balochistan plateau

Quetta recorded minus 18.3°C on 8 January 1970 and Kalat minus 17°C on 20 January 1978. In recent winters PMD has reported Kalat at around minus 6°C on cold nights. Quetta's winters are long, dry and frosty, with snow in some years. Balochistan is under UK advice against all travel, and other parts of the province need permissions, so this is a data point and not a trip suggestion. Our Quetta weather page has the climate detail.

4. Gilgit-Baltistan's other cold spots: Astore, Gupis, Bagrote, Gilgit

Astore, Gupis, Bagrote and Gilgit regularly appear in the PMD morning lists. Reported readings include Gupis at about minus 11°C, Astore and Bagrote at minus 10 to minus 13°C, and Gilgit's record is minus 13.5°C from 1987. These are narrow valleys where cold air pools at night, so the frost is severe even though the days can be sunny.

5. Kalam, Dir, Chitral and the Hindu Kush

Kalam has been reported at minus 14°C on a cold night, Dir has a record of minus 13.9°C, and Chitral minus 12.2°C. Much of this area is covered by security advisories. The UK government advises against all travel to Swat, Upper and Lower Dir and the Kalash valleys, and against all travel on the N45 to Chitral. A suicide bombing at a police station in Swat on 2 August 2026 killed 17. If you are considering a winter trip there, check local news and current police advice, and note that overseas visitors' government advice may void insurance.

6. Murree, Galiyat and Islamabad

Murree recorded minus 11°C. Islamabad's record low is about minus 6°C, from 17 January 1967, though winter averages are far milder, with a January mean low of about 4°C. These are the places most Pakistani families actually experience winter cold in, and where snow is most reliable in December and January.

What about Deosai and Shandur?

Deosai is a plateau at around 4,000 metres and is snowbound for roughly half the year, and the road from Skardu usually closes in mid to late October. Shandur Pass is at about 3,700 metres. Neither has a reliable long-term weather station record, so you will find winter figures such as minus 25°C or minus 40°C in travel blogs without a source. We have left those numbers out. What is certain is that both are inaccessible in mid-winter, and that both are higher than the valley towns nearby. See our note on Deosai in winter.

What these temperatures mean for a trip

The record lows are not what you will feel. On a normal winter night in Skardu you should expect somewhere between minus 5 and minus 10°C, and the days will be above freezing only in the sun. What matters more is how you handle the cold.

• Layers, not one big coat. A thermal base layer, fleece, insulated jacket, warm hat, gloves and waterproof boots. Our winter packing list for the northern areas has the details.
• Heating. Check whether your hotel has heaters and how they run, since many mountain hotels use gas or bukhari stoves and need ventilation.
• Roads. Ice on shaded bends is the main danger, especially in the early morning. Expect delays and travel with a driver who knows the route.
• Flights. Winter flights to Skardu and Gilgit depend on visibility, so leave spare days.
• Phones and batteries. Cold drains batteries quickly. Keep devices inside your jacket.

Who should go, and who should not

A winter trip to Skardu suits people who like quiet, cold, clear weather, frozen lakes and empty valleys, and who can cope with delays. It suits photographers and travellers with flexible dates.

It is a poor fit for families with small children, elderly relatives, or anyone with a fixed return date. If you mostly want snow without extreme cold, Murree and Galiyat are far easier. If you want to see the very coldest places, you will find most of them closed to visitors in the middle of winter.

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