UPDATE – (11:45 a.m.) – Police report the Maunakea Access Road is now open, up to the visitor’s center.

UPDATE – (4:45 p.m.) – The Winter Storm Warning for the summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa is no longer in effect.

(BIVN) – In a rare occurrence, the entire Maunakea Access Road was closed to the public on Thursday – at the Daniel K. Inouye Highway intersection – due to snow and ice on the road.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa, and earlier today the National Weather Service said “snow may fall at elevations as low as the visitor center at times.”

A webcam image on Thursday morning appeared to show a thin layer of snow and ice at Halepohaku, confirming that the frozen precipitation had reached the mid-level area, which is at an elevation of 9,2000 ft.

Police announced the closure of the entire Maunakea Access Road at around 8:30 a.m.

Maunakea Rangers said that due to the closure, the Visitor Information Station and Halepohaku are inaccessible at this time.