SRINAGAR, OCT 4: Kashmir experienced an extraordinary bout of October warmth on Sunday, with temperatures climbing to levels rarely witnessed during the month and several weather stations recording their highest or second-highest maximum temperatures in their October records. The intensity of the heat was evident across the Valley as well as the higher reaches, with maximum temperatures at key stations ranging from 5.7°C to 7.3°C above normal.
The most significant record was reported from Qazigund, where the maximum temperature surged to 31.4°C, breaking the station’s previous October record of 31.2°C, recorded on October 1, 1985. The new reading was 7.3°C above normal, making October 4 the hottest October day ever recorded at Qazigund.
At Kokernag, the mercury climbed to 29.4°C, also establishing a new October record. The reading surpassed the earlier high of 29.2°C, recorded on October 4, 2008. With the temperature standing 5.8°C above normal, Kokernag too witnessed its hottest October day in the available record.
The heat was particularly pronounced in Srinagar, where the maximum temperature reached 31.2°C. The reading made Sunday the second-hottest October day on record in the city, surpassing the previous October maximum of 31.1°C, recorded on October 2, 2008. However, Srinagar’s longstanding October record of 33.9°C, recorded on October 2, 1931, remained unbroken. The day’s maximum was 5.7°C above normal.
Even Gulmarg, known for its cooler temperatures because of its elevation, experienced exceptional warmth. The resort recorded 23.2°C, exceeding its previous October high of 23.0°C, recorded only a day earlier on October 3, 2026. Gulmarg’s all-time October record remains 23.4°C, set on October 1, 2009. Sunday’s temperature was 6.7°C above normal, making it the resort’s second-highest October maximum on record.
The unusual aspect of Sunday’s weather was not limited to individual records but extended across stations situated at markedly different elevations. From Qazigund and Srinagar to Kokernag and the higher reaches of Gulmarg, temperatures remained substantially above the normal October range, pointing to the broad-based nature of the prevailing warm spell.
The readings are particularly striking because October normally marks a transition into progressively cooler autumn conditions in Kashmir. Instead, temperatures on Sunday reached levels associated more closely with late-summer conditions, producing an unusual contrast between the seasonal calendar and actual weather conditions.
The day’s figures also show the scale of the departures from normal. Qazigund was 7.3°C above normal, Gulmarg 6.7°C, Kokernag 5.8°C and Srinagar 5.7°C above normal. Such large positive departures across multiple stations made October 4 an exceptional day in the Valley’s temperature record.
With two stations establishing new October records and two others registering their second-highest October temperatures, Sunday’s heat stands out as a significant weather event for Kashmir. The combination of record-breaking warmth at Qazigund and Kokernag and near-record temperatures at Srinagar and Gulmarg underlined the unusual intensity and geographical spread of the October heat spell.
