Himachal Pradesh was transformed into a winter wonderland after the first snowfall of the season, but the weather also caused massive traffic chaos in Manali, leaving thousands of tourists and residents stranded in freezing conditions for hours. According to several posts on social media, the disruption began on Friday evening as a large number of visitors arrived ahead of the long weekend.
Videos circulating online showed long queues of vehicles stretching for kilometres, with cars buried under thick layers of snow on narrow hills. Many passengers said they were stuck in their vehicles overnight after traffic came to a complete standstill.
Warning travelers, X user @GoHimachal shared the video and wrote, “Think twice before coming to Manali in heavy snowfall. People stuck in traffic jams for over 25 hours in sub-zero temperatures.”
Another user, Nikhil Saini, wrote, “Just got this from my cousin’s hotel in Manali. Look at the amount of snow. This kind of snowfall in a single day has been seen for decades. Even areas that have not seen snow for the past 4-5 years witnessed snowfall yesterday.”
Roads leading to Manali were among the worst hit, leading to 15 km long traffic jams. Officials scrambled to ease congestion as the steady snowfall slowed road clearing operations.
Meanwhile, the state government issued an alert across Himachal Pradesh as active western unrest continued to affect the region. The Met Office (MeT) said the system would “remain active until Sunday”, bringing further spells of rain and snow between January 26 and 28.
A yellow alert has also been issued due to dense fog and cold waves in Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Sirmour districts. Authorities advised people to avoid essential travel during the severe weather and strictly follow official guidelines.
