Most people don't consider Hawaii a haven for winter weather, but so far, the Aloha State has seen more snow this season than New York City and Boston combined.
Meteorologists described Hawaii as a "winter wonderland" earlier this season after a late November snowstorm dumped approximately half a foot of snow at the Mauna Kea Weather Center on Hawaii Island. The weather center is based on the Mauna Kea volcano. The peaks at Mauna Loa also saw snowfall. Meanwhile, Boston has only received a fraction of its average snowfall, with .2 inches falling on December 6. Snow has yet to fall this season in New York City.
Meteorologists shared photos and videos of the Hawaii snowfall across social media. The images shocked many people who had never seen snow in a tropical climate before.
However, it is not uncommon for snow to fall on Hawaii's volcanic peaks given their altitude, and even blizzard warnings have been issued in Hawaii during the winter months. At times, advanced skiers travel to Hawaii to ski the volcanic slopes, although there are no ski resorts in the state.
At nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, the Mauna Kea volcano is the tallest peak in Hawaii. It is the world's tallest mountain when measured base to peak, as its base extends nearly 20,000 feet below sea level. The volcano is so high that it occasionally experiences snowfall during the summer months as well.
What is uncommon is the little snow experienced in Boston and New York City, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told Newsweek. Boston also received little snow at the tail end of the 2022-23 winter season, with its largest snow event in January only producing 3.5 inches. New York City's largest snowfall event was in February, which produced only 1.8 inches.
"That's certainly not the norm," Kines said, adding that the average snowfall in Boston in November is .7 inches. The average jumps up to 9 inches for December.
Kines said most of the East Coast is below average when it comes to snowfall this year, including New York City. Typically, the Big Apple sees half an inch of snow in November and nearly 5 inches of snow in December.
Both Boston and New York City were behind on 2022-23 snowfall totals.
However, El Niño could bring wet weather to the East Coast this winter. El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by warm ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean. It began this summer after La Niña culminated in March.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that El Niño would bring near-normal to slightly above-normal precipitation to the East Coast, so there's still hope for New York City and Boston to be touted as a winter wonderland this season.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
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