Blizzard Warning: Hawaii

[DrLeftover]

VIDEO: Hawaii Snow Update – Blizzard Warning For Summits

December 23, 2014

NEWS BRIEFS

Snow fell on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island on Tuesday. The summits (above 11,500 feet) are both under a National Weather Service Blizzard Warning, in effect until 6 p.m. HST Wednesday.
The road to the summit of Mauna Kea was closed to the public at the Visitor Information Station all day Tuesday and will likely be closed Wednesday due to the high probabilities of ice and snow on the summit. The National Weather Service says snow accumulations up to 8 inches are possible with deeper drifts.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed the summit of Mauna Loa until further notice.

Video:
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2014/12/23/video-hawaii-snow-update-blizzard-warning-summits/

 

[Webster]

....and this is news, Doc?
Quoting the Weather Channel:

Palm trees, sandy beaches and tropical breezes typically come to mind when thinking about the Hawaiian Islands.

And when brainstorming a fun Hawaiian activity, the question "Hey bro, wanna go hang ten on some Maui waves?" will pop up more often than "Hey bro, wanna go shred some pineapple powder on Mauna Kea?" You may be surprised to learn that you can actually do both!

Yes, It Actually Snows in Hawaii
Despite its tropical latitude farther south than Miami, snow does fall in Hawaii, thanks to elevation. According to Ken Rubin, an assistant professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Hawaii, "it snows here every year, but only at the very summits of our three tallest volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala)."

"The snow level almost never gets below 9,000 feet in Hawaii during the winter, but since these mountains are taller than 13,600 feet, 13,700 feet and 10,000 feet, respectively, they get dusted with snow a few times a year. It rarely stays on the ground for more than a few days though."

 

[Nebulous]

Be safe out there Hawaiian visitors (if there is any).

 

[DrLeftover]

....and this is news, Doc?  
Quoting the Weather Channel:

Palm trees, sandy beaches and tropical breezes typically come to mind when thinking about the Hawaiian Islands.

And when brainstorming a fun Hawaiian activity, the question "Hey bro, wanna go hang ten on some Maui waves?" will pop up more often than "Hey bro, wanna go shred some pineapple powder on Mauna Kea?" You may be surprised to learn that you can actually do both!

Yes, It Actually Snows in Hawaii
Despite its tropical latitude farther south than Miami, snow does fall in Hawaii, thanks to elevation. According to Ken Rubin, an assistant professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Hawaii, "it snows here every year, but only at the very summits of our three tallest volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala)."

"The snow level almost never gets below 9,000 feet in Hawaii during the winter, but since these mountains are taller than 13,600 feet, 13,700 feet and 10,000 feet, respectively, they get dusted with snow a few times a year. It rarely stays on the ground for more than a few days though."

Snow? No, that's not news. There was snow on Mauna Kea when we were there in the seventies.

Blizzard warning? yeah.

 

[+paradox]

in most places on earth, if you go high enough, you'll get snow... that's why you see tips of high mountains in snow and lower parts with no snow...

but...

does it snow everywhere?

Since rain generally results from ice melting as it falls to earth, it is reasonable to make that assumption. There are some places where snow never hits the ground and there are some places that rarely get rain. I think I'd answer that with a 'qualified maybe': Maybe, if you count snow aloft. Extending from the earliest geological periods to the present, there probably is not a single spot upon which snow has never fallen, but there are many places where it has not hit the ground for hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of years. As we move further into the climate crisis that lies before us, we will see many extremes of weather, and many parts of the world will experience weather patterns that are novel or rare.