Hawaii summit blanketed in snow in rare cold snap

Hawaii's highest acme has been blanketed successful snowfall aft nan tropical hotspot was deed pinch a uncommon acold snap. 

Social media was swept pinch images of nan Mauna Kea volcano arsenic it was covered successful a heavy furniture of snowfall this week. 

Residents who are much utilized to sunny days connected nan formation and picnic upwind person alternatively been near pinch terrible recreation restrictions and icy roads. 

Meteorologists said nan wintertime scenery crossed Hawaii is nan consequence of freezing temperatures blowing successful from nan water gathering pinch moisture successful nan air. 

Maureen Ballard, a elder meteorologist pinch nan National Weather Service (NWS) successful Honolulu, told nan Associated Press that an 'upper-level disturbance' successful nan ambiance brought acold temperatures toward Hawaii. 

She said moisture came successful from nan eastbound astatine nan aforesaid time, and a 'combination of acold temperatures and moisture equals snowfall erstwhile it's beneath freezing.' 

NWS meteorologist Liam Tsamous told Newsweek that it's not yet known really overmuch snowfall has fallen connected high-elevation peaks. That's chiefly because location are nary study stations up successful those areas, he explained.

However, he said up to 4 inches of rainfall fell connected low-elevation areas, pinch Hawaii now entering its 'wet season' that will past until April. 

The astir stunning images of Hawaii's snowfall came connected nan Mauna Kea volcano, nan highest upland successful Hawaii astatine astir 14,000 feet supra oversea level. 

It is nan tallest highest successful nan world, moreover taller than Mount Everest, if it is measurement from its base, which extends almost 20,000 feet beneath oversea level.

The volcano, owed to its elevation, has moreover been known to autumn nether blizzard warnings successful nan wintertime months. 

Tsamous, while not commenting connected whether Mauna Kea is presently snow-capped, said nan volcano often gets snowfall during October.

The dense rain, arsenic good arsenic blowing snow, coming a threat for Hawaiians successful low-lying areas, according to nan forecast pushed by nan NWS erstwhile snowfall fell astatine nan commencement of nan week. 

'An precocious debased successful nan vicinity of nan Hawaiian Islands is producing unstable conditions wrong a very moist atmosphere,' nan forecast read. 

'This will consequence successful periods of mean to locally dense showers. Rain that occurs complete already saturated crushed could quickly lead to runoff and flash flooding issues.'

The past clip Hawaii was deed pinch snowfall was successful early December 2023.

At nan time, snowfall was seen connected nan apical of Big Island's highest mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, some of which building almost 14,000 feet supra oversea level.

In all, astir 5 inches of snowfall was recorded.