IMD issues orange alert for heavy rain, snowfall in Himachal Pradesh from January 26: These areas to be impacted

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for parts of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, warning residents of rain and snowfall as an intense Western Disturbance is forecast to affect the Western Himalayan region from 26–28 January 2026.

In a X (formerly Twitter) post, the weather department said that light to moderate snowfall is expected at many places, with a few intense spells very likely over many parts of high hills and adjoining mid hills of the state on those days.

The official notice also warned of high possibility for light to moderate rainfall with few intense spells at many places over plains and adjoining mid hills of the state on January 27.

Additionally, the MeT department has placed Una, Bilaspur, Solan and Sirmaur under a yellow alert for possible hailstorms at isolated locations on 27 January.

Officials said several tourist hubs across Himachal Pradesh, such as Naldehra, Manali, Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Solang Valley and Sissu, are likely to witness moderate rain or snowfall with one or two intense spells expected during the day.

Continuous snowfall in the area has led to accumulation of close to one to two feet of snow, and dangerous black icing on roads, prompting closure of traffic movement on key stretches of the national highway, according to ANI.

Just a day earlier, on 24 January, over 600 roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall in Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu (includes Manali), Lahaul-Spiti and Shimla districts, as per the agency report.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh told ANI that the state received snowfall after a “very long dry spell”, which has “brought happiness among farmers and orchardists”.