Dehradun in February: late-winter weather and what’s on

Dehradun weather in February

February is when winter starts to let go. On the India Meteorological Department’s 1991–2020 averages, a February day in Dehradun reaches 22.5 °C and a February night falls to 9.2 °C. That is nearly three degrees warmer than January on both counts. March then jumps again, to 27.4 °C by day. So the month you get depends a lot on which end of it you come. The first week still feels like winter. The last week feels like the start of spring.

The surprise is the rain. February is the wettest month of the year here outside the monsoon. IMD’s averages give it 57.9 mm over about four rainy days. That is more than January (43.5 mm), more than March (45.8 mm) and even a little more than May (51.4 mm). The rain comes with western disturbances, the weather systems that move in from the west through the winter. When one passes, expect a grey, chilly day or two in the valley. Then it usually clears.

February rain often comes with thunder. IMD counts about three to four days with thunder in an average February, against about two in January. Hail is rare, at 0.3 days a month on average, but it does happen. Fog almost disappears: 0.2 foggy days in an average February in the city, against 1.7 in January.

These are averages, not a forecast. In the week you travel, check IMD’s Dehradun centre for the district forecast and any warnings.

What the weather means for a trip

Plan around the wet days, not the cold ones. A February day of rain here can feel colder than a clear January day. So keep one day in your plan loose, and fill it with things under a roof if it rains: the museums at the Forest Research Institute, a long lunch, an afternoon at home with a book.

The days are longer than in January. Sunrise moves from about 7:08 am to 6:45 am over the month, and sunset from 5:54 pm to 6:15 pm. By the end of February you have close to 11 and a half hours of daylight. That makes a day trip easier to fit in before dark.

If you’re hoping for snow on the hills above the valley, February can still bring it, because snow there comes with the same western disturbances that bring rain here. But it is not something to plan a trip around. Rain and snow can also slow or close hill roads at short notice. Before any drive up, read our guide to checking roads and weather, and see snowfall near Dehradun for where and when it falls.

Our advice: come in the second half of February if you can. The nights are milder, the fog on the plains should be past its season, and the days are longer. If your dates are fixed early in the month, pack for January and enjoy the afternoons.

Getting here in February

Fog is mostly a plains problem, and February is the tail end of it. At the civil aviation ministry’s fog meeting on 27 October 2026, IMD said it expects this winter’s fog season, for Delhi and other fog-affected airports, to run from 15 December 2026 to 15 February 2027, according to PIB. If you’re coming by train in the first half of the month, check the running status on NTES before you leave for the station, and your booking on IRCTC. Our Delhi to Dehradun page has train numbers and road routes.

Basant Panchami, Thursday 11 February

Basant Panchami falls on Thursday 11 February 2027, according to the DoPT holiday list for 2027. It is a restricted holiday for central government offices, not a general day off. If you can take that Thursday and the Friday, you have a four-day weekend.

For Uttarakhand, Basant Panchami matters for another reason. It is the day the opening date of Badrinath is announced. On Basant Panchami last year, 23 January 2026, Manujendra Shah, the titular Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal, announced that Badrinath’s doors would reopen on 23 April 2026, according to The Times of India, citing ANI. The paper also reported that the date is fixed by priests from the panchang, and that the Gadu Ghada ceremony, when sesame oil is sent from the Tehri royal court for the deity’s anointing, was set for 7 April.

So the 2027 opening date is expected around Basant Panchami, 11 February 2027, but it is not yet announced. Check the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee website after Basant Panchami.

Planning Char Dham from February

February is a planning month for the Char Dham, not a travel month. Badrinath and Kedarnath stay closed through the winter. Kedarnath’s date comes a little later than Badrinath’s. In 2026, it was announced on Maha Shivratri at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, where priests chose 22 April from the panchang, according to The Times of India. In 2027, Maha Shivratri falls on Saturday 6 March, according to the DoPT list, so Kedarnath’s 2027 date is expected around then, not yet announced.

If you’re starting the yatra from Dehradun, it helps to rest a night or two here before and after. Our page on the Char Dham Yatra from Dehradun covers that. Once the dates are out, send us yours and we’ll tell you if we’re free.

Vasantotsav, the spring flower show

Every year Lok Bhavan, the Governor’s residence in Dehradun (earlier called Raj Bhavan), holds Vasantotsav, a three-day flower show. In 2026 it ran from 27 February to 1 March, according to a Lok Bhavan press note. The Governor’s office said there would be competitions in 15 categories, band performances from units including ITBP and IMA, and food stalls built around traditional millets.

Entry in 2026 was free. The public was let in from 1 pm to 6 pm on the first day, and from 9 am to 6 pm on the other two, according to a second Lok Bhavan press note.

The 2027 show is expected around the end of February or the start of March, going by 2026, but its dates are not yet announced. In 2026 the dates were announced on 2 February, so check the Lok Bhavan website in early February before you fix your trip around it.

February 2027, week by week

What to pack for February

• A warm jacket and a light sweater. Nights average about 9 °C, and afternoons can touch the low 20s.
• A rain jacket or umbrella. This is the wettest winter month, and rain days are cold ones.
• Shoes that can take a wet path, if you plan to walk in the forests or go up into the hills.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen for the clear days after rain.

For the whole winter picture, see Dehradun in winter. For the months either side, see January and March.

How we’d spend a February week

• Keep the first sunny morning for the outdoors. After a rain day, the air is clear and the hills show up sharply.
• Do outdoor sights from late morning to mid-afternoon, when the valley is at its warmest.
• Hold one day free for weather. Use it for the hills if the forecast is clear, or for the city if it rains.
• Don’t build the trip around a festival date that isn’t announced yet. Book the stay, then fit the event in once its dates are out.

Staying with us in February

Fyonli Nest has two bedrooms, the green room and the red room, each with a king bed. It sleeps 4 adults, or up to 6 guests with children aged 2–12. We keep heaters in winter, and the courtyard catches the morning sun, which is where you’ll want to be on a cool February morning. A pahadi breakfast of mandua roti, aloo and seasonal fruit is ₹350 per guest per morning; tell us the night before. On a rainy day there’s a full kitchen, a living room with an indigo arch, and fast Wi-Fi and a desk if you’re working.

We live ten minutes away and meet guests at the gate. As our Instagram puts it, “We help our guests to experience the best of local places,” so ask us before a hill day. Send us your dates on WhatsApp or through the booking request on our stay page. We confirm on WhatsApp, there’s no payment until we do, and cancellation is free until 7 days before arrival.

Sources: IMD climatological table, Dehradun (1991–2020); IMD Meteorological Centre Dehradun; Sunrise-Sunset.org: Dehradun, February 2027; DoPT: holidays for central government offices, 2027; PIB (27 Oct 2026): fog preparedness meeting; The Times of India (23 Jan 2026): Badrinath opening date announced; The Times of India (4 Apr 2026): Kedarnath opening and closing dates; Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee; Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand (2 Feb 2026): Vasantotsav dates; Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand (26 Feb 2026): Vasantotsav visiting hours; NTES; IRCTC.