City in Himachal Pradesh, India
Shimla
Himalayan hill station at about 2,200 m in Himachal Pradesh, with winter snow that draws visitors from the plains.
Shimla snow forecast
Out of season.
Forecasts for Shimla pause outside the snow season and start again in December. The snow record below shows when it usually snows here.
Where is Shimla?
- State
- Himachal Pradesh
- Country
- India
- Elevation
- 1,940 m
- Population
- 206,575
When does it snow in Shimla?
In Shimla, snow falls on about 3 days in January in a typical year, the snowiest month.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 2 days | <1 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | <1 days |
Average days each month with at least 1 cm of snowfall, 2016–2025. Calculated from ERA5 reanalysis data.
Snow in Shimla month by month
Averages for 2016 to 2025, from ERA5 reanalysis data.
| Month | Snow days | Share of the year's snow | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3 | 54% | −1 to 10 °C (30 to 50 °F) |
| February | 2 | 35% | 0 to 13 °C (32 to 55 °F) |
| March | <1 | 4% | 4 to 16 °C (39 to 61 °F) |
| April | 0 | 0% | 8 to 21 °C (46 to 70 °F) |
| May | 0 | 0% | 12 to 24 °C (54 to 75 °F) |
| June | 0 | 0% | 15 to 25 °C (59 to 77 °F) |
| July | 0 | 0% | 16 to 23 °C (61 to 73 °F) |
| August | 0 | 0% | 16 to 22 °C (61 to 72 °F) |
| September | 0 | 0% | 13 to 22 °C (55 to 72 °F) |
| October | 0 | 0% | 8 to 19 °C (46 to 66 °F) |
| November | 0 | 0% | 4 to 16 °C (39 to 61 °F) |
| December | <1 | 8% | 1 to 13 °C (34 to 55 °F) |
Snow in Shimla in January
In January, Shimla gets snow on about 3 days, and the month brings about 54% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −1 to 10 °C (30 to 50 °F).
Which winters were snowiest in Shimla?
Of the last ten winters in Shimla, 2021/22 was the snowiest, about 117% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2017/18, about 78% below average. The biggest single day of snowfall in the record was 23 January 2026.
| Winter | Compared with average | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 48% of average | |
| 2017/18 | 22% of average | |
| 2018/19 | 191% of average | |
| 2019/20 | 80% of average | |
| 2020/21 | 29% of average | |
| 2021/22 | 217% of average | |
| 2022/23 | 57% of average | |
| 2023/24 | 38% of average | |
| 2024/25 | 121% of average | |
| 2025/26 | 197% of average |
Winters are compared with each other rather than given in centimetres. The ERA5 record is reliable on which winters were big and which were lean, but it underestimates absolute snowfall in the mountains, so the resort's own measured totals are the ones to trust for amounts.
Questions about snow in Shimla
Does Shimla have snow at Christmas?
Shimla had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 20 to 26 December in 1 of those years.
Does Shimla have snow at New Year?
Shimla had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on New Year's Day in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 27 December to 2 January in 2 of those years.
Does Shimla have snow in mid-February?
Shimla had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on 15 February in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 10 to 20 February in 3 of those years.
Does Shimla have snow at Easter?
Shimla had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during Good Friday to Easter Monday in none of those years.
How many days a year does it snow in Shimla?
It snows on about 6 days a year in Shimla, counting days with at least 1 cm of snowfall, averaged over 2016 to 2025. January has the most, about 3 days.
What is the snowiest month in Shimla?
January is the snowiest month in Shimla, bringing about 54% of the year's snowfall, based on ERA5 reanalysis data for 2016 to 2025.
Which recent winter was the snowiest in Shimla?
Of the last ten winters in Shimla, 2021/22 was the snowiest, about 117% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2017/18, about 78% below average.
How cold does Shimla get in winter?
January is the coldest month in Shimla, with average daily lows of −1 °C (30 °F) and highs of 10 °C (50 °F).
Snow forecasts near Shimla
Sources: Shimla on Wikidata, Elevation from the Open-Meteo terrain model at the city centre coordinates