The long wait for a “proper” winter finally ended this week when fresh snowfall blanketed the famous hill stations of Landour and Shimla, among others, turning the landscape into a picturesque white paradise. Also read | Tourist spots of Manali, Shimla and Kashmir turn white after heavy snowfall. Look
After a notably dry start to the year, the sudden change in weather has caused a stir on social media; Instagram is full of videos of the ‘first snowfall of the season’ in Landour and Shimla. For those stuck on the plains, these viral videos offer a digital escape.
Landour’s ‘first snow’ captivates the internet
In Landour, the sleepy sister city of Mussoorie, residents and tourists woke up to a magical sight as the first snowflakes of 2026 began to fall. An Instagram video, which garnered thousands of likes, showed Landour’s deodar-lined streets and colonial-era rooftops covered in a thick layer of white. One comment read: “Too late for this but at least it snowed. Beyond happy. I love winter.”
Another clip captured the serenity of the hills and was captioned: “The wait is over! First snow of the season in Landour, and it’s falling beautifully.” One comment read: “How beautiful.”
Shimla: The Queen of Hills wears her crown
In Himachal Pradesh, the Queen of Hills finally lived up to her name. Videos from Ridge and Mall Road showed locals and tourists in the snow, a sight that has been rare in recent years due to changing weather patterns. Instagram feeds were flooded with clips of snowfall in Shimla that Instagram users described as “fairytale” and “magical”.
On January 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a fresh alert for widespread snowfall and rain in Himachal Pradesh, warning of continued disruption to daily life as commuters face serious problems due to slippery roads, traffic jams and fuel shortages. According to the IMD, a fresh western disturbance will hit the state on January 26, causing multiple spells of moderate to heavy snowfall and blizzards in several districts over the next few days.
