Snow on the terraced slopes near Nainital on 14 January 2017. A light fall like this, gone from the sunny slopes by afternoon, is the most common kind. Photo © Capankajsmilyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Snow comes to Nainital on a handful of days each winter, mostly on the ridges above the lake. When to go, where to stand and how to time it, so the trip is worth it either way.
The short answer: Nainital snowfall is real but brief. In each of the last seven winters snow fell at least once on the ridges above the lake, at Naina Peak, Snow View, Tiffin Top and Kilbury, but only on a few days, and most often between mid-January and mid-February. Snow that settles on Mall Road is rare and melts within hours. So plan for the cold and the views, and treat snow as something you catch: watch the IMD forecast, go up the clear morning after a western disturbance, and head for the high points rather than the lake. If you can only come on fixed dates, choose the second half of January to mid-February, stay three or four nights, and keep Mukteshwar as your backup.
By Meghna Bora, Contributor, Nainital. About the author ↓
Everything below holds for any winter. These are the facts for this season, as we checked them.
Winter 2026-27, checked 9 October 2026
Here is the honest trade-off. Nainital gets some snow every winter, so a trip in the right weeks has a fair chance of seeing it. But snow comes on only a few days a winter, the dates move by weeks from one year to the next, and on the town itself it is gone in hours. Researchers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in Nainital told Amar Ujala in January 2025 that snow now falls mainly above 2,000 m, and that around that height it comes only occasionally. Nainital town sits at about 2,000 m. The peaks above it are 200 to 600 m higher. If you are willing to drive further than Nainital for surer snow, our ranking of where to see snow in Uttarakhand puts Mukteshwar, Munsiyari and Auli in order.
Our advice: come for a winter trip and give yourself chances at snow, rather than booking a snow trip. The reasons to be in Nainital from December to February, clear cold days, the snow range in view from Snow View and Tiffin Top, an emptier lake, hold whether or not it snows. If seeing snow is the whole point and your dates are fixed, Mukteshwar or Munsiyari are better bets, and Auli in Garhwal better still; our guide to Uttarakhand in winter compares them by altitude.
We counted the winters from 2019-20 to 2025-26 in which snow fell near Nainital in each month. It is a small sample, but the pattern is clear.
| Month | Winters with snow | What to expect | Crowds and rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | 0 of 7 | Dry and clear; the best views, no snow | Diwali week busy, then quiet |
| December | 3 of 7 | Frost; snow on the ridges in some years, usually late in the month | Quiet until Christmas, then the peak |
| January | 5 of 7 | The best odds; coldest nights | Busy first week, then quiet and cheaper |
| February | 4 of 7 | Good odds in the first half, including the biggest recent fall | Quiet, near the winter low |
| March | 0 of 7 | Spring; we found no snow | Rising towards Holi |
The weather numbers point the same way. IMD’s normals for Mukteshwar, the observatory in the same hills, give about one rainy day in December but three in January and four in February, and snow arrives with that winter rain. The old IMD table for Nainital itself gives January an average night of 1.7 °C and a record low of minus 5.6 °C.
Our advice: aim for the second half of January to mid-February, on weekdays. You get the best snow odds, the New Year crowds have gone, and rates sit near the winter weekday level in our Nainital rate guide. If December is your only option, read Nainital in December for the Christmas week traffic plan.
Height decides everything. These are the places snow settles first, highest first, with heights from the Nainital district administration.
Our advice: on a snow morning go straight to Snow View or Tiffin Top, before 10 AM. If the ropeway queue is long, take a taxi towards Kilbury instead; it is the same snow with fewer people.
Probably not, and it helps to know that before you book. In February 2022 a 24-hour fall broke what Amar Ujala called a 20-year record: snow covered the town, vehicles were stuck on Mall Road and people walked in from the edge of town to see it. That is the clearest recent case. On other snow days, 9 December 2024, 12 January 2025 and 23 January 2026, newspapers disagreed about the town: some reported snow on Mall Road, others only flakes, hail or rain. When snow does reach the Mall, traffic melts it within hours, while the higher parts such as Sherwani, Ayarpatta and Snow View stay white for longer.
Our advice: do not pay a premium for a lake-view room in the hope of a white lake. Stay where it is convenient and budget for a taxi up to the snow.
Snow in Nainital comes with a western disturbance, a winter weather system from the west that brings cloud and rain to the hills. ARIES scientists describe the recipe as a strong disturbance, cloud, and ground that stays near 4 °C for about two days. You cannot book that in October, but you can see it coming three to five days out.
Coming from Delhi or further, with fixed dates. Book three or four nights between the second half of January and mid-February, on weekdays, with free cancellation. Stay on the higher side of town or at Mukteshwar if snow matters most. Spend the first clear morning at Snow View, and if a disturbance is forecast during your stay, keep that morning free. If no snow comes, you still have the views and an empty lake. Leave slack for fog on the plains: our Nainital in December guide covers the fog-season trains.
Living in Haldwani, Rudrapur, Bareilly or nearby. Do not book anything. Watch the forecast, and when snow falls, go the next morning: leave by 7 AM, go up the Bhowali road, spend the morning high, and be back on the plains before dark. Our Haldwani to Nainital guide has the two routes and the cab fares.
With elderly parents or small children. Hire a local driver rather than self-driving the morning after a snowfall, take the ropeway rather than the walk to Snow View, skip Naina Peak, and carry more layers than you think. A night in Haldwani, 1,600 m lower and far milder, makes the day easier; we explain when that works in staying in Haldwani for a Nainital trip.
Photographers and early risers. Kilbury and the Pangot road at sunrise after a fresh fall, then Snow View for the snow range across the valley. Clear mornings after snow give the sharpest views of the year.
Snow closes the high roads first, and for hours rather than days. After the February 2022 fall the district listed seven roads closed, including Nainital to Kaladhungi, Nainital to Kilbury and Pangot, and Bhowali to Ramgarh and Mukteshwar, and roads inside the town were blocked. After the January 2025 fall a JCB cleared the Barapathar to Pangot road and the Dhanachuli to Pahadpani road was shut for about two and a half hours. After 23 January 2026 the SDRF pulled out 20 to 25 vehicles that skidded at Dhanachuli.
If you have never driven on a frozen hill road, hire a driver; our Haldwani cab guide has fares and operators.
The odds above come from dated news reports for every winter from 2019-20 to 2025-26, checked in October 2026. Where reports disagree about the town, we counted only snow on the ridges or nearby high ground.
On the ridges above the town, yes: in each of the seven winters from 2019-20 to 2025-26 snow fell at least once on Naina Peak, Snow View, Kilbury or nearby. But it comes on only a few days a winter and rarely lasts. Snow that settles on Mall Road and the lake shore is much rarer; the clearest recent case was 3 and 4 February 2022.
January, then the first half of February. In the seven winters from 2019-20 to 2025-26, snow fell near Nainital in January in five of them, in February in four and in December in three. We found none in November or March. Plan for the second half of January to mid-February and keep a few days flexible.
Occasionally, and it rarely stays. In February 2022 snow covered the town and stranded vehicles on Mall Road. On other recent snow days, such as 12 January 2025 and 23 January 2026, reports disagree about the town, and the snow on Mall Road melted within hours under traffic while the ridges stayed white. Go up to Snow View or Tiffin Top to be sure.
Watch the IMD Dehradun forecast for a western disturbance. When the warning mentions snow at heights of about 2,000 m, or names Nainital, the peaks above the town have a real chance. If it mentions only 3,000 m and above, Nainital will most likely get cold rain. The best day to go is usually the clear morning after the snow falls.
Yes, and it is often the smartest way. Haldwani is 38 to 41 km below Nainital and never gets snow. Leave by 7 AM the morning after a snowfall, go up the Bhowali road, head straight for Snow View, Tiffin Top or Kilbury, and start back by mid-afternoon. On weekends police hold uphill traffic from Haldwani between 4 PM and 10 PM.