The season’s first snowfall blanketed Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, on Saturday, bringing a sudden chill to the region’s apple orchards and mountain passes. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the precipitation, noting that higher reaches could see more snow by Monday. This early winter arrival has already disrupted travel, with heavy rain triggering mudslides and falling stones that blocked sections of National Highway-05 for motorists in the area.
Travelers felt the shift immediately. Jaya, a tourist from Mumbai visiting Manali, described the air as "quite cold" on Thursday, with light rain persisting since morning. Rajesh Sharma, a local tourism stakeholder in Manali, told PTI that the valley’s weather flipped dramatically over the weekend. While Kinnaur got snow, Rohtang Pass in Kullu district saw light flurries, and Shimla endured moderate rain. The cold has reached the high-altitude shrines of Uttarakhand, covering Hemkund Sahib in a blanket of snow and dropping temperatures at Badrinath Dham.
The IMD issued a red alert for four districts in Uttarakhand—Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar, and Pauri—warning of torrential rainfall and thunder strikes. Heavy rain is also expected in western Uttar Pradesh. In Himachal Pradesh, the wet spell is forecast to continue until September 29, before clearing up through October 3. Delhi, too, is not spared, with the weather department predicting rain over the next three days.
Experts link this volatile shift to changing climate patterns. The region, typically enjoying a milder autumn, is seeing an accelerated drop in temperatures. For now, the focus remains on safety as authorities monitor the blocked highways and the red-alert zones in Uttarakhand.