Snow in Hawaii? Cold air and humidity bring snow to the state's highest mountain

HONOLULU — Snow fell on Hawaii's highest peak this week, briefly turning the mountain peak into a winter wonderland. The summit area of ​​Mauna Kea on the Big Island was covered in about 2 inches of white powder.

Hawaii is best known for its warm weather, beaches and rainforests. However, it is not uncommon for snow to fall in the higher elevations of Mauna Kea during the wetter winter months.

The peak is so high – 13,803 feet above sea level – that temperatures there can drop below freezing year-round, meaning snowfall can occur in any month.

This week, an upper-level disturbance brought colder temperatures as moisture moved in from the east and moved across the islands Sunday into Monday, said Maureen Ballard, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“The combination of cold temperatures and humidity means snow if it is below freezing,” Ballard said.

Webcams mounted on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope showed the ground covered in white shortly after sunrise on Monday. Two days later, cameras showed that the snow had disappeared.

No one lives on the summit of Mauna Kea, which is sacred to many Native Hawaiians. Centuries-old stories say that Mauna Kea is the firstborn son of the Sky Father and the Earth Mother.

The mountaintop's low light pollution and dry atmosphere also make it one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky. Astronomers have built about a dozen telescopes at the summit, resulting in Nobel Prize-winning discoveries and some of the first images of planets outside our solar system.