Snowfall In Ladakh – This Season’s First Spell of Snow

Winter seems to have marked its arrival with the first snowfall in Ladakh at Khardung La and Chang La top.  There was not much snow yet but it was enough to paint the roads and nearby hills complete white. There was no snowfall however yet in the city of Leh, or any other nearby areas like Nubra valley, Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri.

The snow was as of now limited to the top of the peaks; also including Wari La and Tanglang La pass. The roads from the Manali and Srinagar sides are currently open but not for long. It is now only a matter of time before Manali Leh highway is closed early in October. The route from the Srinagar side however remains open until November.

Snowfall in Ladakh

The weather in Ladakh is really unpredictable. It can snow here anytime in the year, including the summer months as well. I have in fact witnessed a snowfall at Chang La once in the month of July.

Chances of that happening are however quite rare. Mostly, between May to August, there is now snowfall but you will still find plenty of snow at the top of the passes. Below is a monthly breakdown.

Snowfall in Ladakh in May

Though May marks the arrival of the summer season, there is still a high chance of snowfall at top of the passes. If not, you will still find snow at almost all the passes en route. There will be no snow in Leh City though.

Snowfall in Ladakh in June

The chances of a snowfall anywhere in Ladakh are quite rare in June. You will only find snow on the ground. If you are traveling in early June, your chances of finding snow walls like in the picture below are high.

Snowfall in Ladakh in July

It does now snow in Ladakh in July. Even if it did at top of any of the passes, it will be a very light spell of snow that will melt within a few hours.

Snowfall in Ladakh in August

Same as July, it does not snow anywhere in Ladakh in August. There could however be a light snowfall at the passes.

Snowfall in Ladakh in September

It snows in Ladakh in September but not in Leh City. Khardung La and Chang La are the first ones to receive snow by end of the month. Baralacha La from the Manali side and Zojila from the Srinagar side also start to experience snowfall.

Snowfall in Ladakh in October

October marks the beginning of the winter season in Ladakh and the entire region starts to receive snow by this time. If you were visiting Ladakh in October, you will definitely find snow at the top of the passes. If you were lucky, you may even catch a live snowfall. You should be ready for extremely cold weather though.

I did not add the months of November, December, January, February, March, and April here because everyone knows how heavily it snows in Ladakh at this time. The temperature can drop as low as -30 degrees celsius. Some of the passes can receive as much as 50 ft of snow during the winter season.

Below is a picture of how Leh City looks in the months of December to March after a snowfall.

Below are a few pictures of the recent snowfall in Ladakh.

Manali to Leh & Srinagar Leh Highway

Neither of the two highways leading to Ladakh has witnessed snowfall as of now. They both continue to remain open yet. It did snow at Tanglang La top however the snow was just a little.

If you are planning a road trip to Ladakh, it is yet can be considered safe to travel. However, as the year progresses further into winters, the risk of snow resulting in a roadblock will continue to increase.

If planning in October, then it would be best to travel via Srinagar Leh highway and return the same way. Exclude the Manali route completely from the itinerary.

While the road from Srinagar continues to remain until mid-November, the Manali highway can be declared closed anytime now. Baralacha La receives heavy snow even in the month of October post which the road becomes inaccessible.

Best Time to Visit Ladakh for Snowfall

The months of January and February are the best time to visit Ladakh to see snow. But it also depends on what kind of snowfall you want to see.

If you want to see a white Ladakh when even the lakes of Pangong and Tso Moriri freeze completely, then January and February are the best time. Below is a picture of how it looks in the peak winter season.

If you however just want to see a light shower of snow without having to survive the freezing winter season of Ladakh, then the months of April, September, and early October are the best. Below is a picture of an HRTC bus traveling to Ladakh after a snowfall early in the season.

Conclusion

I hope the information on snowfall in Ladakh was of help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be happy to answer.