MAUNA KEA, Hawaii – Snow is falling on Mauna Kea as Hawaii Island summits are under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m. Saturday..
The National Weather Service says a slow-moving trough east of the Big Island will produce widespread rain and isolated snow showers at the highest elevations today. At least an inch of snow is expected to accumulate. By 8:30 a.m. Saturday snow was already visible on the Mauna Kea observatory webcams.
Mountain rangers report the road to the summit is currently closed at the Visitor Information Station due to snow and ice on the roads, making driving dangerous. UPDATE: (1:00 p.m. HST) The road to the summit is now open to the public. Rangers say, “as always a 4 wheel drive vehicle is strongly recommended when traveling past the Visitor Information Station”.
Meanwhile, down below, East Hawaii is getting soaked. The National Weather Service says rain will persist over windward Maui and Hawaii County through the weekend as winds ease. There was a high surf advisory posted for north facing shores on Friday night, as well.
