Leh climate — normals and trends
Leh (India) has a tundra climate (ET) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is -6.6 °C and it receives 398 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (9.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-20.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Leh averages 296 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 108 rainy days per year.
Leh has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 24.8 °C (on 28 July 2024) and the coldest -40.3 °C (on 5 January 1978).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
LehLadakh
- coords
- 34.17°, 77.58°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
-6.6°C
Average daily high
-1.0°C
Average daily low
-12.3°C
Annual rainfall
398mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
63%
Average peak wind
5.1km/h
Seasonal range
30.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
296 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
108 d/yr
Annual snowfall
194.2 cm
Average feels-like high
-3.6 °C
Average feels-like low
-16.2 °C
Average peak gust
26.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.23 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
24.8 °C
28 July 2024
Coldest day
-40.3 °C
5 January 1978
Wettest day
56 mm
25 September 1988
Windiest day
13.9 km/h
21 September 1972
Strongest gust
70.2 km/h
9 November 1973
Hottest feels-like
24.0 °C
28 July 2024
Coldest feels-like
-45.2 °C
5 January 1978
Snowiest day
36.1 cm
25 September 1988
Sunniest day
14.0 h
11 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -13.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 24 mm | -1 mm |
| Feb | -11.2 °C | +2.1 °C | 52 mm | +22 mm |
| Mar | -8.9 °C | +0.3 °C | 45 mm | +5 mm |
| Apr | -1.7 °C | +2.8 °C | 25 mm | -12 mm |
| May | 6.7 °C | +5.5 °C | 38 mm | -3 mm |
| Jun | 13.2 °C | +5.3 °C | 39 mm | +7 mm |
| Jul | 18.0 °C | +3.7 °C | 96 mm | +46 mm |
| Aug | 15.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 103 mm | +43 mm |
| Sep | 12.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 55 mm | +24 mm |
| Oct | 0.6 °C | -0.8 °C | 28 mm | +10 mm |
| Nov | -4.3 °C | +2.9 °C | 3 mm | -12 mm |
| Dec | -6.8 °C | +6.4 °C | 14 mm | -6 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Leh?
Leh has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is -6.6 °C and it receives 398 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Leh?
The hottest day measured in Leh between 1940 and 2025 was 28 July 2024, reaching 24.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Leh?
The coldest day measured in Leh between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 1978, at -40.3 °C.
Does it snow in Leh?
Yes. Leh gets on average 194.2 cm of snow per year and has around 296 frost days.
Has the climate of Leh warmed?
Yes: Leh warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Leh?
The wettest day measured in Leh between 1940 and 2025 was 25 September 1988, with 56 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Leh?
The windiest day measured in Leh between 1940 and 2025 was 21 September 1972, with winds reaching 13.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Leh?
The warmest month in Leh is August (9.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (-20.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Leh?
Leh receives on average 398 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 108 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Leh?
Leh gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Leh?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Leh between 1940 and 2025 was 25 September 1988, with 36.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Leh?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Leh.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Leh?
In Leh, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 24.0 °C on 28 July 2024, and the lowest was -45.2 °C on 5 January 1978.
Compare Leh with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.