SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir recorded its hottest June in nearly five decades as a prolonged dry spell and 50 percent rainfall deficit triggered an intense and sustained heat wave across the Valley.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Srinagar registered an average maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius last month – at least three degrees above normal – making it the hottest June since 1978.
The average minimum temperature also remained elevated at 18.2 degrees Celsius.
“This June mimicked the extreme heat of 1978, although peak temperatures were slightly lower,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar.
“For 10 days, maximum temperatures in Srinagar exceeded 34 degrees Celsius.”
The highest temperature of the month – 36 degrees Celsius – was recorded on June 20 and June 24.
Other notably hot days included June 19, 21, 23, and 30, each touching 35 degrees Celsius.
According to experts, June 2025 was the second-hottest on record for Srinagar since temperature observations began in 1892.
Hottest June in 47 years
“Srinagar just witnessed its hottest June since 1978, and second hottest since 1892,” he said. “The average maximum temperature for June stood at 31 degrees Celsius and the mean minimum at 18.2 degrees Celsius, resulting in an overall average temperature of 24.6 degrees Celsius.
The only hotter June on record was in 1978, when the average temperature hit 25 degrees Celsius, driven by a mean maximum of 32.9 degrees Celsius and a lower mean minimum of 17.1 degrees Celsius.”
