Badrinath Weather 2026 — Month-wise Guide
Day and night temperatures, snowfall, rainfall and the best visiting windows for each month
Badrinath is the warmest of the four dhams by a small margin and the one where weather matters least to the darshan itself — there is no trek, and the walk from the car park is a few minutes. What weather decides here is the road. The 45 km from Joshimath is gate-controlled and closes for snow at either end of the season and for slides in the middle of it, and the Chamoli–Joshimath stretch below is the most landslide-prone road on the Badrinath side of the circuit.
The other thing the numbers hide is the evening. Pilgrims judge the day from a warm afternoon at Joshimath and arrive for the 7 pm aarti at the temple steps, 1,250 m higher and with the wind off the Alaknanda, in a shirt. Below is what to expect month by month, split into day and night for that reason, and how much the temperature drops between where you slept and where you are standing.
Month-by-month conditions
| Month | Day | Night | Snow | Rain | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 7°C to 13°C | −3°C to 2°C | Lying snow above Hanuman Chatti | Low | Light | ⚠️ Go prepared |
| May | 12°C to 18°C | 2°C to 7°C | Melting on the peaks | Low to medium | Very heavy | ✅ Good time to go |
| June | 15°C to 21°C | 6°C to 10°C | None on the route | Medium, rising late | Very heavy | ✅ Good time to go |
| July | 14°C to 19°C | 8°C to 11°C | None | Heavy — peak monsoon | Light | ⛔ Not advised |
| August | 13°C to 18°C | 8°C to 11°C | None | Heavy — peak monsoon | Light | ⛔ Not advised |
| September | 11°C to 16°C | 4°C to 8°C | None | Light to medium | Moderate | ✅ Good time to go |
| October | 7°C to 12°C | −1°C to 3°C | Upper peaks only | Very low | Moderate | ✅ Good time to go |
| November | 2°C to 6°C | −6°C to −2°C | Likely; road can close | Very low | Light | ⚠️ Go prepared |
How much colder it gets from Joshimath to the temple
Joshimath, where nearly every group sleeps, is 1,250 m below Badrinath. That is the gradient people pack for badly: they judge the day from a warm morning in Joshimath and arrive at the temple, and then at Mana beyond it, underdressed by two layers.
| Stop | Elevation | May (night–day) | October (night–day) | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshimath | 1,890 m | 10°C to 24°C | 6°C to 19°C | Usual overnight halt. Warm enough that people leave the fleece in the bag. |
| Badrinath | 3,133 m | 2°C to 18°C | −1°C to 12°C | 1,250 m higher and 8–10 degrees colder than where you woke up. Wind off the Alaknanda at the temple steps. |
| Mana | 3,310 m | 1°C to 16°C | −2°C to 10°C | 3 km on and only 180 m higher, but an open valley facing the border — windier than the temple in every month. |
The road, not the temple, is the weather problem
Of the four approach roads, the Badrinath one is the longest and has the single worst stretch: Chamoli to Joshimath through Helang, 50 km that has been under widening and slide repair for years and is the first section to close when it rains. In July and August it shuts repeatedly, sometimes for a day. Above Joshimath the gate road to the temple closes for snow in the first week of the season and the last, and does not run after dark in any month. Check today’s road status before you leave Rudraprayag, and read the route guide for how the gate system works.
Tapt Kund — the hot spring at the temple
The one warm thing at Badrinath is the water. The Tapt Kund beside the temple steps holds at roughly 55°C at the source, cooling across the pool to a temperature you can sit in, and the custom is to bathe before darshan. In October, when the air at dawn is near freezing, it is the best moment of a pilgrim’s day. It holds that temperature year-round regardless of the weather outside; in November the air can be sixty degrees colder than the water.
Where these figures come from
There is no observing station at Badrinath itself. Published temperatures for the shrine are interpolated from Joshimath and Chamoli and adjusted for altitude, which is why sites disagree by several degrees for the same month. The bands here are what our drivers and guides have recorded on the route over many seasons, cross-checked against IMD regional data, and are given as ranges rather than single figures for that reason.
What to pack for Badrinath, by month
Thermals top and bottom, heavy fleece, down or padded jacket, woollen cap, gloves, a scarf for the aarti. Ice-grip footwear for the temple steps at dawn.
Light fleece, windproof jacket, a warm layer for the 7 pm aarti, sunscreen SPF 50+ (the UV at 3,100 m is fierce), sunglasses, a rain shell from mid-June.
Full waterproofs, a dry bag for phone and documents, a spare pair of shoes, and a spare day in the itinerary — the road is the risk, not the cold.
Heavy fleece, warm jacket, thermal inner for October, cap and gloves. The clearest skies of the year, so a camera; and a towel for Tapt Kund.
Frequently asked questions
Last verified: September 21, 2026 · Sources: Shiv Ganga Travels route records (multi-season), IMD regional data, Uttarakhand Tourism
These figures are recorded by Shiv Ganga Travels on the route and are published under CC BY 4.0 — free to quote, republish or cite with attribution to Shiv Ganga Travels, Haridwar and a link to this page. If a figure looks wrong, tell us on +91-7817996730 and we will re-check it.
Planning a Badrinath Yatra in 2026?
Get a package quote for your dates — we’ll tell you exactly what weather to expect and which halt to sleep at.