Srinagar, July 5: A severe heatwave has swept across Kashmir with mercury breaking a 70-year record in Srinagar.
According to Kashmir Weather, an independent weather channel, the mercury hit 37.4°C in Srinagar, making it the third-highest temperature since 1892 and the highest in over 70 years. On July 5, 1953, The Srinagar recorded 37.7°C, while mercury hit 38.3°C on July 10, 1946.
According to an independent Weather forecaster, Kashmir Weather, the data highlights long-term shifts in summer temperature trends across the Kashmir Valley.
In Srinagar, June 2025 registered an overall average temperature of 24.6°C. This included an average maximum of 31.0°C and an average minimum of 18.2°C. The data places June 2025 as the hottest June in Srinagar since 1978 and the second hottest since the beginning of recorded observations in 1892.
The only year with a higher overall average was 1978, which saw a mean temperature of 25.0°C. That year recorded a higher mean maximum of 32.9°C, although the average minimum was slightly lower at 17.1°C. The year 2008 holds the record for the highest mean minimum temperature in June at 18.3°C, marginally above this year’s 18.2°C.
The same overall average temperature of 24.6°C was also recorded in 1971 and 1973, putting 2025 in line with some of the highest temperature levels observed during June in Srinagar’s historical climate record.
In Qazigund, June 2025 recorded an average maximum temperature of 30.3°C and an average minimum of 16.1°C, producing an overall average temperature of 23.2°C.
This is the highest June average in over 50 years, matching the figure recorded in 1978.
In comparison, Qazigund’s hottest June on record occurred in 1973 with an overall average temperature of 23.7°C, driven by a slightly higher mean maximum of 30.4°C and a mean minimum of 16.9°C. The same average temperature of 23.2°C was observed in June 1978, though that year’s maximum was marginally lower at 30.2°C and the minimum slightly higher at 16.2°C.
The station’s highest average minimum temperature for June remains 17.3°C, recorded in 1971. That year also saw an overall mean temperature of 23.3°C, slightly above the 2025 figure.
Kashmir also recorded the highest or near-highest minimum temperatures for July. Data shared by Kashmir Weather confirms a sharp upward trend in night temperatures across central and south Kashmir, adding to growing concerns over shifting climate patterns in the region.
In Srinagar, the minimum temperature settled at 24.5°C, making it the fourth highest ever recorded in July. Three of the four warmest July nights in the summer capital’s history have now occurred since 2023, with the top mark—25.2°C—still held by 21 July 1988.
Qazigund, often regarded as the Valley’s gateway town, registered its highest-ever July minimum at 23.4°C, surpassing the previous record of 22.8°C set in 1997. The new record adds Qazigund to the growing list of areas experiencing persistent night-time warmth.
In Pahalgam, long known for its cool climate, the minimum dipped to 20.0°C, now its second warmest July night on record. The highest remains at 20.2°C, logged in 2013. Similarly, Kokernag recorded a minimum of 21.8°C, ranking second in its July record books, behind the 22.6°C set in 2005.
Meteorologists are watching these trends closely, as rising minimum temperatures can impact public health, crop cycles, and water needs. The continued breach of long-standing records points to larger climate shifts, and Kashmir Weather has indicated that more such temperature extremes may lie ahead if conditions persist.