Manali in December and January — snow, cold, roads and crowds

The weather, month by month

	December	January
Average high	13.5 °C	10.5 °C
Average low	0.3 °C	−1.1 °C
Record low	−10.0 °C	−11.6 °C
Average precipitation	38.7 mm	90.0 mm
Days with rain or snow	2.2	5.6

India Meteorological Department normals for 1991–2020. Days are often sunny and pleasant; the cold arrives at sunset. January is wetter, so it brings more of the snow.

Where the snow is

• Manali town gets snow most winters, more often in January than December, which is usually the drier month.
• Solang Valley, 14 km up the valley, is usually under snow from mid-December to March, with skiing and snow play. See skiing in Manali.
• Sissu, through the Atal Tunnel, holds deep snow all winter when the road is open.
• Rohtang Pass is closed. See where to see snow near Manali for the other seasons.

Roads in winter

After snowfall, the roads above Manali freeze, and black ice in shaded stretches is the real danger. The police stop tourist vehicles at Solang or Palchan until the road to the Atal Tunnel is cleared. In bad spells they allow only 4x4s with snow chains, or only Lahaul residents, for days at a time. Travel in daylight, and ask your driver about chains. The pass calendar lists recent winter closures with dates.

Christmas, New Year and the Winter Carnival

The week from Christmas to New Year is Manali’s busiest of the winter: hotels fill early and prices peak. The Manali Winter Carnival is held in January. In 2026 it began on 20 January and ran for five days, on a smaller scale than usual, without outside performers, after the previous monsoon’s damage.

Packing

Thermal inner layers, a down or heavy fleece jacket, gloves, a warm cap, woollen socks and waterproof shoes with grip. Bring sunglasses too, because the glare off snow is strong. Our Himachal packing list has the full list.

On our tours in winter

Our Volvo packages charge season rates from 20 December to 5 January and off-season rates the rest of the winter. With Rohtang shut, the snow day goes to Solang and, when the road is open, through the tunnel to Sissu. For the year-round picture, read the best time to visit Manali.