Where to see snow in India from December to February

Snow places in India come down to height. Gulmarg, Auli, Solang, Narkanda, Chopta, Tawang and the road to Nathu La sit at about 2,500 m or more and hold snow through most winters. Shimla, Manali town, Mussoorie and Nainital sit near 2,000 to 2,200 m, where a fall can melt in a day or two. This page is for winter 2026 to 2027. Nobody can forecast the snow in October, so it gives the pattern and the range of the last three winters. If you want to work from a snow town for a week or more, our homes and rooms in the hills show the heating, power backup and wifi speed up front.

Snow places in India: height, first falls and how sure each one is

The first-snow column lists what happened in recent winters, not a promise. Heights are rounded.

Place (state)	Height	First snow in recent winters	Most reliable weeks	How sure	Winter access
Gulmarg (J&K)	about 2,650 m	2 Oct 2025 on upper slopes; meadow December to late January	Mid-January to March	Very likely, with dry spells	Srinagar, about 56 km
Sonamarg (J&K)	about 2,700 m	Peaks 19 Aug 2025; valley from December	January to March	Very likely	Road shuts in heavy snow
Auli (Uttarakhand)	about 2,800 m	12 Dec 2024; 23 Jan 2026	Mid-January to February	Very likely	Joshimath road, sometimes blocked
Solang (Himachal)	about 2,560 m	14 Nov 2022; 19 Nov 2025	January to February	Very likely	13 to 14 km from Manali
Sissu, Atal Tunnel (Himachal)	about 3,100 m	Passes 18 Sep 2026	December to March	Very likely, road closes	About 40 km from Manali
Narkanda (Himachal)	about 2,700 m	8 Dec 2024	January to February	Likely	60 km from Shimla
Kufri (Himachal)	about 2,600 m	8 Dec 2024; 23 Jan 2026	Mid-January to February	Likely, can be thin	12 to 16 km from Shimla
Chopta, Tungnath (Uttarakhand)	about 2,650 m; 3,680 m	November to March	January to February	Very likely	Some roads blocked
Munsiyari (Uttarakhand)	about 2,200 m	Heavy fall from 8 Dec 2024	January to February	Likely	Long mountain road
Tawang (Arunachal)	about 2,700 to 3,000 m	December to January	Late December to February	Very likely	Sela Tunnel; permit
Tsomgo, Nathu La (Sikkim)	about 3,750 m; 4,300 m	Heavy snow late Dec 2022	January to February	Very likely, permits stop	40 km from Gangtok; permit
Leh (Ladakh)	about 3,500 m	Occasional	December to February	Cold certain, deep snow not	Fly in; roads shut
Shimla (Himachal)	about 2,200 m	1 Feb 2024; 8 Dec 2024; 23 Jan 2026	Mid-January to mid-February	Gamble	About 350 km from Delhi
Manali town (Himachal)	2,050 m	30 Jan 2024; 8 Dec 2024; 23 Jan 2026	Late January to March	Gamble	Bhuntar airport 50 km
Mussoorie, Dhanaulti (Uttarakhand)	about 2,000 m; 2,286 m	9 Dec 2024; 23 Jan 2026	January to February	Gamble	About 290 km from Delhi
Nainital (Uttarakhand)	about 2,000 m	Peaks above town 23 Jan 2026	January to February	Gamble	310 to 345 km from Delhi
McLeod Ganj, Dharamkot (Himachal)	about 2,100 m	Snow and sleet in spells	January to February	Gamble	Triund needs police permission
Mukteshwar (Uttarakhand)	about 2,200 m	Occasional, December to January	January	Gamble, often sparse	343 km from Delhi

Why height decides snow in India: 2,000 m towns against 2,500 m and above

Air cools by roughly 6.5°C for every 1,000 m you climb. Manali, at 2,050 m, has December to February nights that average about freezing: the weather department’s means are 0.3°C in December, minus 1.1°C in January and 0.3°C in February. At 2,700 m and above the margin is wide enough for snow to settle, and above 3,000 m it stays.

Shimla’s record is published: the weather department’s long-period average is 7 cm of snow in December, 42 cm in January, 43 cm in February and 7 cm in March, over about 11 snowy days a year. A Christmas trip to a 2,000 m town is a bet on one or two weather systems. A trip to a 2,700 m meadow is a bet on the season.

Near-certain snow: places at 2,500 m and above

Gulmarg and Sonamarg: snow almost every winter, but not on a schedule

Gulmarg is the surest ski-grade snow on this list, and it still shows how far “sure” stretches. In the 2023 to 2024 winter, snow stayed away for more than two months, through the start of the 40 days of Chillai Kalan, until late January 2024. The Khelo India Winter Games were moved to Ladakh for the first time because of it, and 19,532 visitors arrived in the first six days of February once the snow came.

A Gulmarg gondola cabin over fresh snow in January 2018. Photo: Slyronit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Srinagar weather centre’s figures for 2025 to 2026 say the same: that winter was 65 percent short of normal precipitation, the seventh below-normal winter in a row, and February 2026 was 89 percent below. Yet the upper slopes had snow on 2 October 2025. The mountain above you will be white; whether the meadow is white at Christmas is the part to hedge.

Sonamarg, at about 2,700 m, had its first snow of the 2025 season on the peaks on 19 August. The road from Srinagar closes in heavy snow, and the highway beyond it over Zojila closed on 19 March 2026 for four days.

Solang, Sissu and the Atal Tunnel near Manali

Solang, 13 to 14 km from Manali, is where Manali’s snow is when the town has none. First falls there came on 14 November in 2022 (about 4 inches) and by 19 November in 2025. Sissu, at about 3,100 m, is about 40 km from Manali through the 9.02 km Atal Tunnel, which cut the old 116 km, 5 to 6 hour route to 71 km and about 2 hours.

The upper ropeway station at Solang in December 2015. Photo: Bleezebub, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The tunnel stays open in snow, but its approaches do not. Beyond Solang, only four-wheel drives were allowed in December 2021 and only local 4x4s with chains in March 2023. The road was blocked on 23 and 27 January 2026, and in late February 2025 heavy snow shut it for an estimated week or more. See our best time to visit Manali for the town’s winter record.

Auli, Chopta and Munsiyari in Uttarakhand

Auli, at about 2,800 m, had its first major snowfall of 2024 to 2025 on 12 December, and fresh snow on 23 January 2026. Snow blocks the road from Joshimath at times, and the ropeway had been shut since 2023 when last reported in April 2025, so ask a local operator.

Chopta, about 2,650 m, sees snow from November to March, and Tungnath above it, at 3,680 m, is snow-covered from December. Munsiyari is lower, at about 2,200 m, but had heavy snow from the night of 8 December 2024.

Tungnath temple above Chopta in January 2018. Photo: Siddharth Chugh, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Narkanda and Kufri: the snow above Shimla

Narkanda, at about 2,700 m, holds snow through January and February and is the better base if snow is the aim. Kufri, 12 to 16 km from Shimla, is closer and thinner, and the road above it is often closed after heavy snowfall.

Tawang, Nathu La and Tsomgo: the north-east, with permits

Tawang, at about 2,700 to 3,000 m, expects snow in December and January. The Sela Tunnel, opened in March 2024, takes the road under Sela Pass (4,170 m), where the Border Roads Organisation rescued at least 70 stranded people in February 2024.

Tsomgo Lake, at 3,753 m, freezes in winter, and Nathu La is at about 4,300 m. Both need a permit, and permits stop when the road does: after continuous snow from 27 December 2022, Sikkim Police cancelled those already issued.

Snow near Nathu La in March 2022. Photo: Dinesh Valke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Leh in winter: the cold is certain, the depth is not

Leh, at about 3,500 m, averages a January high of 1.5°C and a low of minus 13.1°C, but only 9.5 mm of precipitation falls in the month, so the snow is light. The roads from Manali and Srinagar are mostly shut, so fly in and rest a day before doing anything.

Snowfall in Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie and Nainital: what three winters did

2023 to 2024: Shimla and Manali waited until the end of January

Shimla had its first snow of the season on 1 February 2024, and Manali town on 30 to 31 January. The high ground did better: snow was reachable at the Atal Tunnel, Dhundi and Gulaba from 6 December 2023.

2024 to 2025: an early, light fall in a dry year

In November 2024 the weather department’s Himachal head compared the dry spell with 2016 and called the western disturbances feeble. Then snow came early. Shimla’s first fall, on 8 December 2024, was light, and a weather official said it would last only a few hours because nights were not cold enough. Mussoorie and Dhanaulti had theirs on 9 December, lighter than in earlier years, and Auli followed on 12 December.

2025 to 2026: a dry autumn, then snow on 23 January

The weather department’s data showed rainfall largely absent after 5 November, most western disturbances feeble and temperatures 3°C or more above normal across much of north-west India on 17 December. The high ground had snow on 5 and 19 November, but Shimla and Manali stayed dry through Christmas and New Year. Snow reached Shimla on 23 January 2026, under an orange alert, with over two inches by evening and the Kufri road shut. One visitor reported hotel rates of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 a room that day. Manali town had its first snow on 23 to 24 January, ending about three months without. Mussoorie and Dhanaulti had snow on 23 January, and a second light fall on 28 January melted quickly.

In each of the last three winters, the high places had snow by December and the towns got their first real snow between 8 December and 1 February.

Manali under snow in December 2018. Photo: Shivendujha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Other gamble towns: Dhanaulti, Chakrata, Mukteshwar, McLeod Ganj and Kasar Devi

Dhanaulti, at 2,286 m, does slightly better than Mussoorie. Chakrata, at 2,118 m, had snow on its high ground around Lokhandi on 23 January 2026, and it is a cantonment where foreigners face restrictions. Mukteshwar gets only occasional, sparse snow in December and January.

McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot, at about 2,100 m, get snow and sleet in winter spells, while Triund at 2,850 m holds more. Kangra’s winter orders ban trekking above 3,000 m and require the police superintendent’s permission for Triund and Kareri; our Dharamkot treks guide has the detail. Kasar Devi, at about 2,100 m above Almora, can see light snow in December and January, and Almora’s first snow of the 2024 season came around 9 December. See Kasar Devi and Almora for long stays.

Snowfall in India month by month: late November to March

• Late November: First falls on the high passes. Heavy snow closes Rohtang in late November, and the Manali to Leh highway closed to all vehicles on 20 November 2025.
• December: Chillai Kalan begins in Kashmir on 21 December. Shimla’s normal is only 7 cm, and over 33,500 vehicles entered Manali between 1 and 27 December 2025.
• January: The peak. Shimla’s normal is 42 cm, and Manali town recorded over 30 cm on 14 January 2023. Snow and a long weekend on 24 and 25 January 2026 produced an 8 km jam and 685 closed roads across Himachal.
• February: Shimla’s snowiest month on average, at 43 cm.
• March: Leftovers at height. Shimla averages 7 cm, and March is Manali’s wettest month outside the monsoon, much of it snow and sleet. Over 1,000 vehicles were stuck near the Atal Tunnel in March 2026.

Snow near Delhi, ranked by distance

Sources differ by a few tens of kilometres.

1. Mussoorie, about 290 km. The nearest, and the least reliable.
2. Nainital, 310 to 345 km. Snow on the peaks above, rain in town.
3. Dhanaulti, about 325 km. Better odds than Mussoorie.
4. Mukteshwar, 343 km. Snow is sparse here.
5. Shimla, about 350 km, and Kufri just beyond. Kufri is the nearest place with a decent chance of snow.
6. Almora and Kasar Devi, 365 to 375 km. Light snow in a cold December or January.
7. Narkanda, roughly 400 km. The best odds on this list.
8. Manali, 530 to 540 km, then Solang, and Sissu 40 km beyond. The surest snow within a night’s drive.

Snow on the hillside at Mussoorie above the Doon valley, photographed in 2014. Photo: Paul Hamilton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

See also hill stations near Delhi.

Snow-road rules: who closes roads, chains, black ice and permits

• Who announces closures. The district administration and the police announce them, and the Border Roads Organisation clears the high roads. Check the traffic police advisory that morning.
• Chains and 4x4. Above Kufri in January and February, chains are advised for self-driving. Beyond Solang, snow orders have limited the road to four-wheel drives, sometimes only with chains. A local driver for the day solves most of this.
• Atal Tunnel and Rohtang. The tunnel normally takes vehicles with no permit, but its approaches are controlled in snow. Rohtang is closed to tourists in winter, and in the 2026 season it opened on 15 May with a daily permit quota.
• Permits. Tsomgo and Nathu La need a permit from the Tourism Department and the police check post, or through a tour operator, and foreigners go no further than Tsomgo and only in groups of two or more. Tawang needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors, applied for at eilp.arunachal.gov.in or at a facilitation centre in Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati or Tezpur, and a Protected Area Permit for foreign visitors.
• Black ice. It forms on shaded stretches of the Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda roads, mostly between about 6 and 9 in the morning. Start later and do not brake in a bend.
• Cost of a snow day. There are no fixed taxi tariffs for Solang, and quotes for the same run differ by thousands of rupees, so agree the fare before you get in.
• Book refundable. A snow day can close a road for a day or a week. On our listings you get a refund if you cancel at least 14 days before move-in for stays of one or two weeks, or 30 days before for longer ones: see cancellation and refunds.

Staying a week or longer in a snow town and working through it

A week in a snow town is a different trip from a snow day. You need warmth, power and internet on the day the road is shut.

Start with heating. Ask what heats the room: a fixed heater, a gas heater or a fireplace. Heaters are often charged by the day, and a room that is fine at noon can drop below freezing overnight.

Then power. Chail’s hoteliers say their worst outages come during snowfall, and Manali reported a power cut with the January 2026 snow. Backup may run lights and a router but not a geyser or heater, so ask which stay on. Uttarakhand began scheduled power cuts in September 2026, so ask how many hours a village gets.

For internet, fibre can fail when a line comes down, and a flood in 2025 cut mobile and internet networks in Manali. Keep a Jio or Airtel hotspot as backup and ask which network works in the room. Pipes froze in Manali after its first snow in November 2022, so ask whether they are protected. Stock a week’s food when snow is forecast.

Our live homes are around Dharamkot and around Almora and Kasar Devi, both at about 2,100 m, so both are in the gamble group: a week there in January may or may not bring a fall. Homes in Dharamkot and homes near Almora show the heating, backup and a dated wifi speed for each.

If the snow is the point, go to Gulmarg, Auli, Narkanda or Solang, with a spare day for the road. If you want a working week with a chance of snow, pick a town and keep the dates flexible. Watch the India Meteorological Department’s Shimla, Dehradun and Srinagar centres from mid-December.