snow on the summit of Mauna Kea via Keck 1, aimed north northeast

MAUNA KEA, Hawaii – Snow covered the summit of Mauna Kea on Sunday. Webcams showed wintry weather blowing around the numerous observatories located at the 13,000 foot level of the Hawaii Island mountain.

The Mauna Kea Summit Access Road was closed at the Visitor Information Station up at the 9,200 foot elevation. Rangers blamed high winds and accumulating snow.

From the National Weather Service in Honolulu:

Winds across the Big Island summits remain elevated. While they have dropped below the warning threshold this morning… Winds are expected to increase again by tonight as the upper trough approaches the state. Based on gfs forecast 600mb winds… Summit winds could be stronger late tonight/early Monday than they were yesterday/last night. In addition… Deep moisture is beginning to reach the summit level based on web cam images from Mauna Kea… And a brief coating of snow was visible on the ground. The winter weather advisory currently runs through Monday morning for a combination of snow and freezing rain. Freezing rain is more likely at onset while moisture is more shallow… With conditions transitioning more to snow or a mix of rain and snow during the day. For the afternoon… Temperatures will be hovering near to just above freezing. We may see light rain with periods of rain/snow mix during heavier showers given such a shallow melting layer. National Weather Service on March 2, 2014

LINK: Mauna Kea Weather Center