Himachal Pradesh turned into a winter wonderland after receiving the season’s first snowfall, but the weather also triggered massive traffic chaos in Manali, leaving thousands of tourists and residents stranded in freezing conditions for hours. According to multiple social media posts, 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 the narrow hill roads. Many travelers said they were stuck inside their vehicles through the night after traffic came to a complete standstill.
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Another user, Nikhil Saini, posted, “Just received this from my cousin’s hotel in Manali. Look at the amount of snow. Such snowfall in a single day was last seen after decades. Even areas that had not seen snow for the last 4 to 5 years witnessed snowfall yesterday.”
Roads leading into Manali were among the worst hit leading to 15-km-long traffic jams. Officials struggled to ease the congestion as continuous snowfall slowed down road-clearing operations.
Meanwhile, the state government issued an advisory across Himachal Pradesh as an active western disturbance continued to affect the region. The Meteorological (MeT) Office said the system “would remain active till Sunday,” bringing more spells of rain and snowfall between January 26 and 28.
A yellow alert was also issued for dense fog and cold wave conditions in Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Sirmour districts. Authorities advised people to avoid non-essential travel and strictly follow official guidelines amid the harsh weather.
