Hawaii Under Winter Weather Advisory With 4″ of Snow Forecast

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Hawaii through Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service forecasts up to four inches of snow on the Big Island summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The advisory warns of hazardous travel conditions from slippery roads and limited visibility.

• Related: Yes, You Can Actually Ski in Hawaii

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
143 PM HST Mon Nov 17 2025

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS...

.An upper level low southwest of the islands will help deepen
moisture over the eastern end of the state and bring snow showers to
the Big Island summits. Snow may mix with rain at times.

HIZ028-181245-
/O.NEW.PHFO.WW.Y.0004.251118T0400Z-251119T0400Z/
Big Island Summits-
143 PM HST Mon Nov 17 2025

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM
HST TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Snow accumulations up to 4 inches. Snow may mix with rain
  at times.

* WHERE...Big Island Summits.

* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM HST Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow will cause
travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited
visibilities and use caution while driving.

While snow in Hawaii may surprise many, it is a regular event on the state’s tallest volcanic peaks. The high elevations of Mauna Kea (a dormant volcano), which rises to 13,796 feet, and Mauna Loa (the world’s largest active volcano), at 13,678 feet, create a sub-Arctic climate at their summits. According to Tom Birchard, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, snowfall occurs on average five to eight times per year, primarily during Hawaii’s wet season from October through April. “It’s not out of the realm of normality,” Birchard told Newsweek, noting that the current event falls at the tail end of the typical snow season.

Snow is often associated with a Kona low, when winds that typically blow out of the northeast shift and begin to blow from the southwest, over the leeward or “Kona” side of the islands. As the air, laden with moisture from the tropical Pacific, is forced up by the mountainous topography, the moisture precipitates as heavy rain and snow. Kona storms are common between October and April, and a storm in January 2020 dumped up to three feet of snow, enough to ski and ride.