The first weekend of meteorological winter opened with a blast as snow blanketed the peaks of Hawaii's Big Island.
A video posted Wednesday to Storyful by Derek Petrowski, a telescope operator and support technician at W.M. Keck Observatory on the Mauna Kea Summit, shows one person throwing a snowball off the inactive volcano. The video also shows workers driving through the thick snow atop the nearly 14,000 foot summit.
Newsweek reached out to officials at the W.M. Keck Observatory for comment.
A "Kona low" has hit Hawaii over the last 24 hours, dropping snow on the high peaks, including Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Mauna Kea has seen a half a foot of snow. The Kona system also brought heavy rain and wind gusts to the lower elevations. Nearly 20 inches of rain fell near Hilo on the Big Island.
The Kona low is expected to weaken Saturday into Sunday, with some lingering moisture and instability bringing the chance for a few brief downpours, with a thunderstorm possible on the Big Island.
The Mauna Kea Weather Center is based on the Mauna Kea volcano, 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.
According to the NWS, snow typically occurs a few times a year on the peaks. Snow is typically seen between October and April, but a dusting of snow was observed at Mauna Kea in July 2015. In 2016, approximately 2 feet of snow was recorded on Mauna Kea.
Nearly all of Hawaii is facing a drought, according to the U.S. federal drought monitor.
The heavy rain and snow on Hawaii's peaks come nearly four months after the Maui fire disaster that killed nearly 100 people and destroyed more than 17,000 acres and more than 2,000 structures.
The recent wind and rain has resulted in stormwater runoff entering into coastal waters.
"The public is advised to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals, and associated flood debris. Not all coastal areas may be impacted by runoff, however, if the water is brown stay out. Continue to practice good personal hygiene and follow-up with your primary care physician if you have any health concerns," a statement from the Hawaii State Department of Health earlier this week read.
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Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed ... Read more
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