Weather and Temperature on the Hampta Pass Trek

Today we will talk about the weather on Hampta Pass trek. This is something a lot of trekkers worry about -- is it going to be too rainy? Am I going to feel too cold? Is it going to snow on the trek? In this blog, I'll resolve all these doubts. 

Here's an interesting fact to begin with -- Hampta Pass is actually one of our colder treks. This is because the entire trek is in a very narrow valley on both sides of the pass. Picture it as a tunnel with a lot of wind blowing through it. So you tend to feel much colder on Hampta Pass trek as compared to the Uttarakhand treks. 

Hampta Pass is a high-altitude pass crossing at 14,000 ft. The campsites on either side of the pass are also at very high altitude. So Balu ka Ghera and Shea Goru, both are about 12,000-12,500 ft. That's the height of the Kedarkantha peak. 

This means both are alpine camps, above the treeline. You are surrounded by rocks and snow patches. So these camps are a lot colder than the lower campsites. 

Time of the year

Hampta Pass is done between June and September. June and September are colder months than July and August. You'll find a lot of snow in June which makes the wind blowing through the valley colder. 

July and August are warmer as it's raining, snow is washed away. 

September again gets cold as it marks the onset of winter. From September onwards temperature starts declining, almost 1-2 degrees every week! By October first week you might see the first snow coming in. 

Keeping this in mind, let's talk about the temperatures. 

During the day you can expect the temperature between 13-18 degree Celsius. It's a comfortable weather. 

In the evening the temperature drops. You can expect something between 8-13 degrees. Further into the night, the temperature will drop to around 3-4 degrees at the lower campsites. At the higher campsites it can drop to sub-zero levels in June and September. 

If it's raining or snowing the temperature will be lower. 

As Hampta Pass is done in peak monsoon, there is a valid concern about rain on the trek, especially in July and August. 

Is it going to rain every day?

Truth is, yes it is the monsoon and it will rain. But it is not like to rain every day. In fact that rarely happens. And it also does not rain all day. It usually rains or drizzles only for a few hours depending upon the local weather conditions. 

But do not worry about these. Even if it's drizzling, you can do the trek quite comfortably while wearing your rain gear. 

You must also carry your three warm layers - a light woollen sweater, a fleece jacket and a padded jacket. 

At this point you must also understand that the Hampta Pass trek is proceeding towards the rain-shadow region of Lahaul.