BIG ISLAND, Hawaii — It’s best known as a tropical paradise, but the National Weather Service has issued a rare blizzard warning for Hawaii’s Big Island. The forecast is for up to a foot of snow or more with winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour for the Big Island summits.
While blizzards are extremely rare, snow isn’t unheard of in Hawaii. Both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s mountain peaks, typically see fresh snow every winter, CNN reported. The current conditions leading to the blizzard warning had Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closing the summit of Mauna Loa.
Due to high winds and winter weather conditions, the summit of Mauna Loa is temporarily closed to overnight use. Based on the weather forecast, the park will consider reopening the summit on Wednesday.
— Hawaii Volcanoes NPS (@Volcanoes_NPS) November 30, 2021
USGS webcam photo of Mokuʻāweoweo, the summit crater of Mauna Loa. pic.twitter.com/0xgToqhqf6
Widespread heavy rains and damaging winds are expected to hit most of Hawaii, prompting fears of flooding, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported. A Kona low is expected near the islands this weekend, a type of seasonal cyclone that brings wet and unsettled weather, USA Today reported.
Blizzard Warning in Hawaii goes into effect tonight. A foot of snow with winds greater than 100mph possible. It's the states first blizzard since 2018 #9wx pic.twitter.com/fUORR0yp4P
— Cory Reppenhagen (@CReppWx) December 3, 2021
Hawaii’s blizzard warning came as Denver, Colorado set a record for the latest snowfall of the season.
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