An unexpected spell of off-season snowfall has affected several areas across the western Himalayan region, including parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. The sudden weather change disrupted travel in many popular hill destinations and created difficulties for tourists and local authorities.
The impact of the snowfall was particularly visible in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali region. Heavy snowfall near the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang led to a major traffic disruption, leaving nearly 1,000 vehicles stranded and forcing authorities to initiate a large-scale rescue operation.
Officials reported that snow began accumulating rapidly near the south portal of the Atal Tunnel, making the roads extremely slippery and unsafe for vehicles. As traffic movement slowed and eventually came to a halt, teams from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the Himachal Pradesh Police were deployed to clear the snow and assist stranded travellers. The teams worked to guide vehicles to safer areas while clearing the affected stretches of road.
According to local authorities, weather conditions in Manali remained largely normal until late Saturday night. Because of the favourable conditions, many tourists had travelled towards higher-altitude destinations such as Lahaul Valley and the Atal Tunnel area. However, the weather changed quickly once snowfall began in the high-altitude regions.
By early Sunday morning, snowfall intensified across the approach roads to the Atal Tunnel and nearby mountain passes. Within a short period, the snow-covered roads led to heavy congestion as hundreds of vehicles struggled to move forward. Many tourists found themselves stranded as traffic slowed dramatically on the slippery stretches.
Meteorologists have attributed this sudden snowfall to a fresh western disturbance. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) explained that such weather systems originate over the Mediterranean region and move eastward through strong westerly winds. These disturbances typically bring winter precipitation to parts of South Asia, especially northern India and the Himalayan region.
When a western disturbance reaches the Himalayan mountains, it interacts with the cold air present over the high-altitude terrain. This interaction leads to the formation of clouds and precipitation. As a result, areas located at higher elevations receive snowfall, while nearby lower regions and plains usually experience rainfall.
Snowfall during March is generally considered off-season in the western Himalayas because the region normally receives most of its snowfall during the peak winter months between December and February. However, western disturbances can still occur during late winter and early spring. If such a system arrives while temperatures remain sufficiently low at higher elevations, snowfall can still occur in Himalayan areas even in March.
Weather officials also pointed out that many hill districts had experienced unusually warm and dry conditions earlier in the month. When the new western disturbance arrived, temperatures dropped sharply in the upper reaches, creating favourable conditions for snowfall in the mountainous regions.
Researchers studying Himalayan weather patterns have observed that the timing and intensity of western disturbances have shown increasing variability in recent years. In some cases, this has resulted in delayed snowfall or uneven distribution of winter precipitation across the region. However, scientists caution that a single weather event cannot be directly linked to climate change without long-term scientific analysis and broader data.
Authorities have advised tourists planning to travel to high-altitude destinations to check weather forecasts in advance and remain cautious. Sudden snowfall in mountainous areas can quickly lead to road blockages, traffic congestion, and hazardous driving conditions, particularly in regions with steep terrain and narrow mountain roads.
