Dehradun in January: weather, fog, snow trips and what to pack

Dehradun weather in January

On the India Meteorological Department’s 1991–2020 averages, a January day in Dehradun reaches about 20 °C and a January night drops to under 7 °C. IMD’s own climate booklet for the city calls January the coldest month, and says highs stay around 19 °C until the fourth week, with lows around 6 °C to the end of the month. Things only start to warm up in February.

The cold is sharpest early in the morning. In the second half of December and the first half of January the lowest temperature of the day comes around 7 am, then it climbs steeply from 8 am to noon and keeps rising until about 3 pm. So a January day here really is two days: a cold morning and evening, and a warm, sunny middle.

Most years, the coldest night of January falls somewhere between 0 and 5 °C, according to IMD. From the end of December to the first week of February there’s a 20–30% chance on any given night that it drops below 4 °C. The all-time low for the month is −1.1 °C, on 11 January 1945.

The grey days

The days to plan around are the grey ones. January is wetter than December, with about 43 mm of rain over roughly three days. That rain comes with western disturbances, weather systems that move in from the west. When one comes through, the valley can stay cloudy and cold all day. IMD counts about three “cold days” in an average January, when the high stays at 16 °C or below. In January 1981 there were eight. The coldest January day on IMD’s record reached only 8.9 °C, on 20 January 1997.

Here’s a recent example. On Friday 23 January 2026 it rained in Dehradun from the morning. According to IMD, as reported by PTI, the city’s high that day was 14 °C, 12 degrees lower than on Thursday. Schools up to class 12 were closed in Dehradun district. The same day brought the year’s first snow to Mussoorie, Dhanaulti and Chakrata.

Thunder is less rare than you might think. IMD counts about two days with thunder in an average January, and more than half of winter thunderstorms here come between midnight and 6 am. You may hear one at night. IMD also notes that fog tends to form after rain, so the next morning can be the misty one.

These are averages and past days, not a forecast. Check IMD’s Dehradun centre for the district forecast and warnings in the week you travel.

Fog in January: the valley and the plains

Fog in Dehradun itself is a few-mornings-a-month thing. IMD’s averages show about two foggy days in a typical January. When it comes, IMD says it’s mostly at night and early in the morning, and long spells of dense fog are rare here. It tends to follow winter rain: the night turns cold after a western disturbance, the air is still damp, and the fog forms. So the morning after rain is the one to watch. The worst January on IMD’s 2001–2010 count, 2003, had seven foggy days.

The plains are a different story. IMD’s averages for New Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory show about 22 foggy days in January. Most of a January trip’s fog trouble happens before you reach the valley.

Trains in fog

Fog slows trains across north India. On 28 January 2026, more than 70 trains coming into Northern Railway divisions, including Delhi, were running late at 6 am, according to ETV Bharat. Northern Railway’s chief spokesperson explained why: in low visibility, loco pilots can’t see signals at high speed, so trains run slower. His advice was to check the live running status on the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) or call 139 before leaving for the station.

Railways also cancel or cut back some trains for the fog months. In September 2026, North Central Railway announced changes to 13 trains between December 2026 and February 2027, according to The Indian Express. None of the trains on that list runs to Dehradun, but other zones publish their own lists. Check your train on IRCTC and NTES close to the date, and again on the day.

Flights in fog

Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport isn’t immune. Over New Year 2024, dense fog there delayed more than a dozen flights in 48 hours and cancelled five, according to the Times of India. The delayed flights on 1 January included the morning ones to Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Delhi airport has its own fog delays, which can knock on to connecting flights. If you can choose, we’d lean towards a later flight over an early one.

Our advice for January travel: leave slack in the plan. Don’t book a tight connection on the way here or a must-make meeting on the day you leave. If you’re driving up from Delhi, leave after the fog lifts rather than before dawn. Check-in with us is from 2 pm, so there’s no reason to race. If you’re running late, message us on WhatsApp with your new time. Delhi to Dehradun has train numbers and road routes.

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day 2027 is a Friday, so the month opens with a long weekend. It’s a restricted holiday for central government offices, not a gazetted one. IMD’s climate booklet notes that New Year is a big draw here, with people hoping for snow in Mussoorie, so expect company on the hill road. If you’re here for New Year, we’d spend New Year’s Eve in the valley and go up to the hills on a weekday later in January. Our New Year in Dehradun page covers last year’s traffic plan, and Dehradun in December covers the run-up.

Republic Day in Dehradun

Republic Day falls on Tuesday 26 January 2027, according to the DoPT holiday list for 2027. Take Monday 25 January off and you have a four-day weekend from Saturday 23 January. Plenty of people may do the same, so we’d plan for busy roads into the hills that weekend.

Dehradun is the state capital, so the main state ceremony is here. On 26 January 2026, the Governor hoisted the flag at the Parade Ground and took the salute of the parade, according to a Lok Bhavan press note. There were tableaux from state departments, marching contingents from the army, CRPF, ITBP and police, and folk dances including Chholiya. Look for details of the 2027 ceremony closer to the day.

The weather is usually on your side. IMD’s climate booklet describes Republic Day in Dehradun as a cold morning and a pleasant, warm afternoon. Over the 40 years it studied, the low on the day was mostly between 5 and 10 °C, and it rained on 26 January in only five of those years.

Two more January dates on the restricted list: Makar Sankranti on Thursday 14 January and Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday on Friday 15 January. Anyone taking both off gets another long weekend, so the middle of January can get busy too.

Snow day trips in January

It doesn’t snow in Dehradun. It does snow on the hills above it, and January is one of the likeliest months to see it. Snow comes with winter rain: when a western disturbance brings rain to the valley, the hills can get snow the same day. Two recent Januaries:

• 14 January 2023: Dhanaulti and the area around it had the first snow of the season after rain in Dehradun overnight, according to Uttarakhand News Network.
• 23 January 2026: the year’s first snow reached Mussoorie, Dhanaulti and Chakrata, according to PTI. Videos showed tourists in the snow on Mussoorie’s Mall Road.

Snow also closes roads. On 23 January 2026, according to PTI, the Joshimath–Auli road and the Rudraprayag–Pokhri–Gopeshwar road were shut by snow, power lines came down in parts of Uttarkashi, and the Chamoli district administration asked people to avoid unnecessary travel. IMD had issued an orange alert for snow in the higher reaches. Those were roads well beyond Mussoorie, but hill roads closer to Dehradun can also close for snow or slips at short notice. Before any drive up, check IMD’s Dehradun forecasts and warnings and any district advisory, and read our guide to checking roads and weather.

Dress for a different climate up there. IMD’s long-term normals for Mussoorie, as tabulated on Wikipedia, put a January day at about 10 °C and a January night under 3 °C. Uttarakhand Tourism also runs a Mussoorie tourist registration portal, so check if registration is needed before you go. For where to try and how to time it, see snowfall near Dehradun and our Mussoorie day trip.

How we’d play it: don’t fix a snow day in advance. Watch the forecast. When rain and a cold spell are due in the valley, keep the next day free. Go up the morning after the snow, on a weekday if you can, and come back down before dark. The sun sets before 6 pm all month.

What to pack for January

• Layers. A light sweater for sunny afternoons and a proper warm jacket for mornings, evenings and grey days. Pack for 6 °C, not 20 °C.
• Thermals, a woollen cap and gloves if you’re going up to the hills, plus warm socks and shoes with grip. Snow and slush make roads and paths slippery.
• A small umbrella or rain jacket. January brings about three rainy days on average, and they tend to be cold ones.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen. Most days are bright, and snow adds glare.
• For the car: a full tank, water, snacks and a charged phone if you’re driving up for snow, in case the road is slow.

For the whole November-to-February picture, see our guide to Dehradun in winter.

How we’d spend a January week

• Arrive in the afternoon. Fog on the plains is worst in the morning, and check-in is from 2 pm.
• Keep mornings slow. It’s coldest around 7 am. Have breakfast in the sun and head out late.
• Do outdoor sights between about 11 and 4, when the valley is at its warmest. Places like the Forest Research Institute are best in that midday light.
• Keep one day loose for snow in the hills, and use rainy days for the city.
• Avoid the Mussoorie road on the long weekends around New Year and Republic Day.

Staying with us in January

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 have heaters in winter, and the courtyard catches the morning sun, which is where you’ll want your tea on a January morning. A pahadi breakfast of mandua roti, aloo and seasonal fruit is ₹350 per guest per morning; tell us the night before. There’s a full kitchen if you’d rather cook, parking in the courtyard so the car is ready for a snow day, and fast Wi-Fi and a desk if you’re working through the month.

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 about the roads 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 climatological table, New Delhi Safdarjung (1991–2020); IMD: Climate of Dehra Dun (2012); IMD Meteorological Centre Dehradun; Sunrise-Sunset.org: Dehradun, January 2027; PIB (27 Oct 2026): fog preparedness meeting; DoPT: holidays for central government offices, 2027; Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand (26 Jan 2026): Republic Day at the Parade Ground; ETV Bharat (28 Jan 2026): trains delayed by fog; The Indian Express (25 Sep 2026): fog-season train changes; Times of India (2 Jan 2024): fog at Jolly Grant airport; PTI via ThePrint (23 Jan 2026): first snowfall of 2026; Uttarakhand News Network (14 Jan 2023): snow in Dhanaulti; Mussoorie climate table (IMD normals, via Wikipedia); Uttarakhand Tourism: Mussoorie tourist registration; NTES; IRCTC.