Weather in Tibet. Tibet is commonly known as the land of snows and roof of the world. It is known as the land of snows as it is surrounded by some of the world highest snow covered mountain throughout the year. Due to its high elevation, Tibet is known as the roof of the world. Because of the above two geographical reasons, many people think it is freezing in Tibet. In this post, we will discuss the weather in Tibet.
Some of the most common features of weather in Tibet
Whether you are in Tibet for Summer or Autumn, you will feel these standard features of Tibet’s Weather. We will talk about it before we discuss the seasonal weather in Tibet.
Huge difference in Day time and Night time temperature
There is a huge difference in temperature of day and night. Daytime in Tibet usually hotter, and the night is chilly. Ideally, there are more than ten °C. So it is recommended to bring a thicker coat when planning to go out in Tibet.
Cold
It is dry and cold in Tibet. The coldest differ on your visiting place. Suppose you are visiting mount Everest base camp or Mt Kailash. It will be extremely cold, and you will have to bring cloth suitable for winter, even in summer. If you visit a lower area like Lhasa valley and Yarlung Tsangpo Valley, It will be much less cold. But generally, it will be cold. Therefore it is often recommended to wear clothes in layer and always have additional layer readily available with you all the time. You can rent a coat with us by paying the laundry fees only.
Dry
Besides being generally cold, Tibet is also very dry. Many travellers often get running noise because of its dryness. Some travellers would apply the Vaseline in the nasal area. Local Tibetans would use a face mask to prevent losing moisture by breathing in the same humidity.
Strong Sun Ray
Due to the high elevation of Tibet, the sunray in Tibet is very strong and could burn quickly. Therefore, all the perfect sunscreen and sunglasses are recommended to protect your eyes and skin from the harsh sun.
Weather in Tibet based on Seasons
Weather in Tibet during Spring
Spring in Tibet usually starts on the 1st of April and last until May. It also marks the opening of Tibet after a month-long closure at the end of winter. Spring is usually marked by rain and snowfall in the beginning. We only get cloud in springtime in Tibet. It is common to see apple and peach blossom. We have a unique tourism festival to mark spring peach blossom in the Nyingtri region of Tibet. In spring, the remote pass would open up as warm weather melts away snows resulting in the assessability of Mount Kailash and other remote trekking trails in Tibet. Spring also brings a once a year window period to summit Mount Everest from both the Tibet and Nepal sides. You will find the mountaineers basecamp from the tourist basecamp near Everest.
Weather in Tibet During Summer
Summer in Tibet begun from June to August. It usually started after the holy month of Saga Dawa. It’s on the saga Dawa, we usually shed off our winter cloth. The temperature will stay between 12-24°C (54-75°F).
The weather in Tibet is generally warm in the daytime and chilly at night time. You will also find it cold indoors, so please bring a light coat with you all the time.
Summer is the busiest season for the Tourism industry in Tibet. Hence it will be a little harder to book your train and flight ticket to and from Tibet. It is best to book your tour with a responsible local travel agency like ours to arrange your Tibet tours and ticket booking.
Half of the summer season marks a rainy season in Tibet. The rainy season usually starts in July and end with the summers season. The annual rainfall level is shallow in Tibet, and rain usually falls in the evening and night. The rain will not affect your tour much, yet if you are visiting famous landscape scenic area like Mount Everest and Yamdrok lake, it is likely to block your view by clouds.
Summer is also an excellent time for trekking in Tibet. Ganden to Samye is most famous, and it is the four-day trek on the ancient pilgrim trail between the two renowned monasteries.
Weather in Tibet During Autumn
Autumn marks the declining number of tourist in everything will slow down in Tibet. The average temperature of Autumn in Tibet is between 7-20°C (45-68°F). It is the second busiest season in Tibet tourism after the end of the rainy season.
Most experienced tour leaders and trekking guides would organise their tour around mount Kailash between the second half of September and the first half of October. It is also recommended to other trekking routes in Tibet like Everest Kangshung Face trek in the inner Himalaya.
We often ask people to pack their winter clothing. It will get cold, especially towards the end of the season.
During the Autumn season, you will find two festival in Tibet. One is called Ongkhor. The festival celebrated good wishes for bumper harvest from farmland. It is celebrated on a different date but before the harvest. Another festival in Autumn is called the Bathing Festival. Here people would go out to the riverside and take a dip in the river. This festival coincides with the appearance of Planet Venus in the night sky. We believe the water under this planet has a unique characteristic: washing away all the misfortune and illness.
Weather in Tibet During Winter
Winter in Tibet is cold and dry. But it is not that cold as many people would think or as in some cities in the northern hemisphere like New York or Beijing. The average temperature of Tibet stays between -5-11°C (23-52°F). Tibet will remain open until February. Besides the closure of Mount Kailash region, all the other Tibet region will be available for travellers, including Mount Everest Basecamp. In winter, we will find loads of pilgrim travelling to the lower Lhasa valley region for pilgrimage and avoid harsh weather in Northern Tibet. This seasonal migration of locals makes it particularly interesting to visit central Tibet for photography and spiritual journey.
Conclusion of Weather in Tibet
Besides the above facts on weather in Tibet, if you ask me when is the best time to visit Tibet. I would say the best time to travel to Tibet is on your holiday. Each month and each season has a unique point to make your visit to Tibet worthwhile. Please write to us at [email protected]. We will always be happy to answer all your questions.