Webcam photo from UKIRT on Maunakea shows observatories buried in snow on Friday morning

(BIVN) – A new Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the summits of Maunakea and Mauna Loa, as “yet another surge of deep moisture will move over the Big Island today and tonight, combining with a relatively low freezing level to bring periods of heavy snow,” the National Weather Service said.

The Warning will be in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday. An additional 8 inches of snow
is expected to accumulate at the highest elevations, with ice accumulations of around two tenths of an inch.

“Roads will be snow covered and dangerously slippery, and visibility will be reduced to near zero at times,” forecasters wrote.

On Thursday, in a rare occurrence, the entire Maunakea Access Road was closed to the public at the Daniel K. Inouye Highway intersection due to snow and ice on the road. Snow was falling at the Visitor Information Station at Halepohaku.

A High Surf Advisory is also in place for east-facing shores from North Kohala, south to Kaʻū. Surf heights of 7 to 10 feet will be possible today, “with a slow and steady decline expected tonight through the weekend,” forecasters said.