At a Glance

Summits on Hawaii's Big Island have seen several inches of snow this week, leading to road closures.Although it may sound strange, snow here is not unusual.

Snow is falling in Hawaii and is expected to blanket the volcanic summits of Hawaii's Big Island at times through Thursday.

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Temperatures have fluctuated near the freezing mark over the Big Island summits, where amix of snow and rain is occurring, along with gusty winds. Snow was seen at times on the late Monday into Wednesday afternoon.

While snow is falling on the volcanic peaks of the Big Island at times, heavy rainfall has been observed elsewhere. Numerous locations have seen more than 6inches of rainfall since Mondayon the windward sides of the Big Island and Maui.

Locally heavy snow is anticipated on the summits of the Big Island into at least Thursday evening. This has prompted the National Weather Service to issue winter weather advisories in areas where up to 2 inches of additional snow is expected, along with some ice,leading to localized storm totalsof over 6 inches.

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Some thunder also cannot be ruled out, and winds may gust up to 25 mph at times.

The combination of locally heavy snow and strong winds has reduced visibility at times.

The NWS office in Honolulu notedMonday eveningthat a ranger reported slushy snow and ice on summit roadways. This wintry weather has also resulted in the of Mauna Kea. These streets are closedwhen there is any ice or snow on the road.

Theheavy rain and snow are present because of strong easterly trade winds and a disturbance in the region. In addition, there is ample moisture in the area, which is helping to enhance precipitation, especially over the Big Island and Maui.

Some may find it curious that snow is accumulating in Hawaii, given the lack of snow cover in the contiguous United States.

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Although it may sound strange, snowfall in Hawaii is not rare. It snows here every year, but only at the summits of the highest volcanoes on the Big Island – Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea – which are at an elevation above 13,000 feet, as well as Haleakala on the island of Maui, which is at an elevation of just over 10,000 feet.

This wet pattern is expected to continue over the Hawaiian Islands through this week. However, temperatures mayincrease enough late this week, which wouldend the snowfall on the volcanic summits.