“Winter is Here”: Snow Covers the Summit of Mauna Kea: Big Island Now

Mother Nature is definitely having a tough time with the weather at the summit of Mauna Kea today, but with precautions in place like closing the access road, many Big Island residents are finding the scenery more of a treat just in time for Halloween.

“Winter is here,” the Maunakea Visitor Information Station announced in a post on its Facebook page at 8:36 a.m. Sunday, releasing several webcam images from telescopes and observatories atop the volcanic mountain, covering it lightly with snow showed.

One of the photos also showed that fog and/or snow continued to fall or blow in the wind.

The post added that the access road to the summit was closed due to ice and dangerous driving conditions. The road was still closed around 12:30 p.m

A winter weather advisory is in effect for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa until 6 a.m. Monday.

The National Weather Service forecast office in Honolulu says deep moisture moving across the state brings the possibility of snowfall on both mountains tonight, which could be heavy at times.

Periods of snow, poor visibility and slick roads with snow accumulations of up to 15 cm are possible.

According to the Center for Maunakea Stewardship Maunakea Weather Center, the temperature at the summit was just above freezing at a balmy 35 degrees at 12:37 p.m., with only a few small patches of snow remaining.

There was light fog and humidity ranged from 90% to 100% with an average relative humidity of 98%.

The wind was east-northeast with an average speed of 10 miles per hour. Ice has been detected in at least one location in the last 6 hours.

Big Island residents and others wasted no time sharing pictures — and their excitement for the wintry weather — as snow blanketed the summit early Sunday.

“Yay, it's snowing on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii!” wrote Renée Robinson of Kailua-Kona in a Sunday post at 8:54 a.m. on Facebook, sharing a picture of one of the Mauna Kea observatories.

“Let it snow, let it snow,” June Iseminger replied.

Janet Carter commented briefly and succinctly on the Maunakea Visitor Information Station's contribution: “Wow!”

​​He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but Alford Davis commented on the live feed on YouTube from the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera, located at the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea summit, that it looked “a little cold.” Today at the top of the mountain.

“The first snow of the season has arrived on (Mauna Kea),” Volcano's Arlene Buklarewicz wrote in a Facebook post at 10:29 a.m., sharing an image from the Mauna Kea Observatory. “It’s not my photo, but I’m ready and willing when she emerges from the clouds!”