NOAA: Winter Storm Warning for HAWAII Today | 6-12″ of Snow Forecast!!

Claire Weiss | | Post Tag for WeatherWeather
Cinder cones atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii
Cinder cones atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii

Yes, it snows in Hawaii.  

Yes, people ski and snowboard in Hawaii.

Yes, Hawaii is getting dumped on right now…

Hawaiian road gap. photo: Pete Alport
Hawaiian road gap in March 2015. photo: Pete Alport

The big island of Hawaii has summits as high as 13,800′ and they’re about to get buried.  NOAA’s text forecast is calling for 22-33″ of snow (see below) on Friday and Saturday!

NOAA has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Hawaii that is calling for 6-12″ of snow and snow is forecast for Hawaii everyday the next 7 days.  

* ACCUMULATIONS...STORM TOTAL OF 6 TO 12 INCHES THROUGH FRIDAY.
- NOAA Honolulu, HI today
image:  noaa, today
image: noaa, today
image:  noaa, today
image: noaa, today
hawaii2
Winter storm warning for Hawaii Big Island.  image:  noaa, today
Bro! Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Bro! Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 PM HST Friday.

  • Locations: Big Island summits above 12000 feet.
  • Hazard types: Heavy snow, low visibility and wind.
  • Accumulations: storm Total of 6 to 12 inches through Friday.
  • Timing: tonight through Friday afternoon.
  • Impacts: dangerous driving and hiking conditions due to heavy snow, blowing and drifting snow, strong winds and freezing fog.
  • Winds: east to southeast 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph.
  • Temperatures: mid 20s to lower 30s.
  • Visibility: as low as one half mile.
Skiing Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Skiing Mauna Kea, Hawaii

According to Big Island Video News :

The road to the summit of Mauna Kea is closed to the public at the Visitor Information Station due to heavy snowfall and ice on the roadway, as a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Hawaii summits above 12,000 feet.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu says an upper level low moving over the area will lower freezing levels and destabilize the atmosphere. A surge of moisture moving in from the southeast is forecast to produce bursts of heavy snow across the Big Island summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

Big Island Now:

Due to high winds and heavy snow, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park closed the summit of Mauna Loa today until it is safe to reopen.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the summit of Mauna Loa in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park early this morning.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii snow.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii snow.

WINTER STORM WARNING for HAWAII:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
414 PM HST THU DEC 1 2016

...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS REMAINS IN EFFECT
THROUGH FRIDAY...

.AN UPPER LEVEL LOW NEAR THE AREA IS LOWERING FREEZING LEVELS AND
DESTABILIZING THE ATMOSPHERE. A SURGE OF MOISTURE MOVING IN FROM
THE SOUTHEAST IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE BURSTS OF HEAVY SNOW ACROSS
THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS ABOVE 12000 FEET.

BIG ISLAND SUMMITS-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF...MAUNA LOA AND MAUNA KEA ABOVE 8000 FEET

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST FRIDAY...

* LOCATIONS...BIG ISLAND SUMMITS ABOVE 12000 FEET.

* HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY SNOW...LOW VISIBILITY AND WIND.

* ACCUMULATIONS...STORM TOTAL OF 6 TO 12 INCHES THROUGH FRIDAY.

* TIMING...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS...DANGEROUS DRIVING AND HIKING CONDITIONS DUE TO HEAVY
  SNOW...BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...STRONG WINDS AND FREEZING
  FOG.

* WINDS...EAST TO SOUTHEAST 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

* TEMPERATURES...MID 20S TO LOWER 30S.

* VISIBILITIES...AS LOW AS ONE HALF MILE.
Buried. Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
Buried. Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
Hawaiian road gap.  photo:  Pete Alport
Hawaiian road gap. photo: Pete Alport
Mauna Kea Hawaii and Pacific Ocean.
Mauna Kea Hawaii and Pacific Ocean.
Powder Day on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
Powder Day on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

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