At a Glance

A winter storm warning has been issued for the volcanic summits of Hawaii's Big Island.Up to two feet of snow could pile up on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.Snow often occurs at the high elevations of the Big Island.

This is not a joke: heavy snow and possible blizzard conditionswill affect Hawaii's Big Island summits into late this week.

Deep tropical moisture is pooling ahead of a cold front that will sweepacross the Hawaiian Islands into early Thursday morning. This moisture will not only fuel heavy rain, but also snowfall, primarily above 12,000 feet in elevation.

showed accumulating snow and poor visibility Tuesday – a drastically different scene than the clear skies observed early Monday.

A comparison of weather conditions Monday versus Tuesday on the summit of Mauna Kea. (Mauna Kea Observatory)

Snow and ice have , according to the Mauna Kea Rangers.

The National Weather Servicehas posted a winter storm warning for both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, where up to two feet of snow could pile up through early Thursday. A weather discussion from the NWS on Tuesday morning saidgusty winds could contribute to blizzard conditions.

In the tropical lower elevations, heavy rain will accompany this cold front and raise the risk of flash flooding. The NWS warned that Maui and the Big Island have the highest risk of flooding through early Thursday morning.

Although it may sound strange, snowfall in Hawaii is not rare. It snowsevery 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, at an elevation of just over 10,000 feet, on the island of Maui.

Slushy accumulations piled up on Mauna Kea .