Hawaii Snow Warning Sparks Fears of Falling Icicles

Hawaii officials warned of “falling icicles” at the Mauna Kea summit this week as a winter storm brought snow and freezing rain to high-elevation areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter weather advisory for part of the state on Wednesday night as meteorologists forecast that late winter snow would impair travel conditions on Thursday. Light snow and freezing rain have fallen on the Big Island summits each night since Monday. The snow and ice would melt the following day, prompting Mauna Kea rangers to warn of “falling icicles” from the astronomical domes stationed at the peaks, NWS meteorologist Tom Birchard told Newsweek.

Snow began to accumulate on Mauna Kea on Wednesday night, and meteorologists are warning that up to 4 inches could fall before the advisory expires at 6 p.m. local time.

Despite Hawaii being more commonly known as a warm climate, it is not unusual for snow to fall on the state’s volcanic peaks given their altitude, and blizzard warnings have even been issued during the winter months.

“Deep moisture moving over the Big Island from the east will lead to periods of freezing rain and snow over the summits and upper slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa,” the advisory said. “Additional ice accumulations of around one quarter of an inch. Snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Difficult travel conditions are possible.”

Photos showed a light dusting of snow on Mauna Kea after meteorologists warned of a winter storm earlier in the week.

“The Winter Storm Warned-storm in Hawaii never really materialized; this is the current view on #MaunaKea, from the Center for Mauna Kea Stewardship, where there’s only a light dusting of snow on some surfaces,” a social media user posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday night.

At nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, the volcano is the tallest peak in Hawaii. It is the world’s tallest mountain when measured base to peak, as its base extends nearly 20,000 feet below sea level.

Snow is a common occurrence in the winter months at Hawaii’s three tallest volcanoes—Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Haleakala. Mauna Kea occasionally sees snowfall during the summer months as well. However, snow rarely falls anywhere in Hawaii with an elevation below 9,000 feet, even during the winter months, according to a report by World Atlas.

“Snow on the Big Island of Hawaii is not all that unusual,” AccuWeather meteorologist Reneé Duff previously told Newsweek. “Some of the summits of the volcanos on this island tower over 13,000 feet, including Mauna Kea. So, at this elevation, the air can be cold enough during storms for precipitation to fall in the form of snow.”