Srinagar, Aug 27: Kashmir’s summer is set to end with a brief heat spell, as the Meteorological (MeT) Department forecasts temperatures to rise toward 35 degrees Celsius in the Valley plains over the next few days.
Friday and Saturday are expected to be the hottest days.
Srinagar recorded 32.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
Kupwara recorded 33.3 degrees Celsius and Qazigund 32 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag recorded 31.7 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 27 degrees Celsius and Gulmarg 24 degrees Celsius.
Jammu city recorded 35 degrees Celsius and Katra 32.7 degrees Celsius.
Banihal recorded 30.1 degrees Celsius, Bhaderwah 30.2 degrees Celsius, and Batote 28 degrees Celsius.
The MeT has forecast dry and warmer weather through the end of August, mainly in the plains with showers at isolated places.
Higher reaches are likely to remain cooler.
A moderate summer
May was cooler, with temperatures mostly in the 20s and occasional days touching 30s.
The plains received mostly light to moderate rain, while higher reaches experienced frequent and intense, localised showers.
Some spells were more widespread, while isolated areas also reported hailstorms.
June and July remained moderate overall.
Cloud cover, rain, and wet spells kept temperatures in check, although both months saw brief heat spells.
However, the month of June ended with a brief heat spell lasting a few days. Srinagar touched 35.3 degrees Celsius on June 29 and 35.5 degrees Celsius on June 30.
July began relatively cool before a brief mid-month heat spell pushed Srinagar to 35 degrees Celsius on July 17 and 35.9 degrees Celsius on July 18, the season’s highest so far.
Temperatures eased afterward, with another short warm spell toward the end of July.
Rainfall during June and July was mostly localized, though some spells were widespread.
Intense showers also caused hailstorms, landslides, mudslides and flash floods in parts of the Valley and Jammu.
August stayed moderate
August was mostly dry, but temperatures remained moderate, generally around 30-32 degrees Celsius in the Valley plains.
Rainfall was largely confined to isolated, intense showers in higher reaches and brief light to moderate spells in the plains.
The late-August rise in temperatures is expected to be brief.
Cooler than 2025
The contrast with last summer is marked, as Kashmir witnessed prolonged heat spells in June and July.
Srinagar recorded 37.2 degrees Celsius on July 6, 2025, and 36.2 degrees Celsius on July 29.
June 2025 was the hottest June in Srinagar since 1978.
The city recorded an average maximum of about 33 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees above normal.
For 10 consecutive days, temperatures crossed 34 degrees Celsius.
A prolonged dry spell and about 50 percent rainfall deficit contributed to the heat.
Even consecutive wet spells in late July and August did little to end the heat. Conditions remained largely hot and humid.
This summer, wet spells during May, June and July repeatedly checked temperatures.
Heat spells were brief, while August remained moderate despite mostly dry weather.
Srinagar’s seasonal high of 35.9 degrees Celsius was 1.3 degrees below last year’s 37.2 degrees Celsius peak.
Summer gives way to autumn
June, July, and August mark Kashmir’s summer period.
With August ending, the Valley is entering its seasonal transition.
Warm afternoons can persist through September, even as nights gradually become cooler.
The transition becomes more noticeable after September 21, with warmer days and cooler nights signalling the approach of autumn.
The shift strengthens through October as temperatures decline.
For now, Kashmir is set for one final late-summer heat spell after a significantly milder summer than 2025.
