Snow fell on Hawaii’s tallest peak, Mauna Kea, this week, covering the summit area with about 2 inches of white powder. The 13,803-foot mountain often sees snow during the wetter, winter months due to its high elevation and year-round freezing temperatures. An upper level disturbance brought colder temperatures and moisture to the region, resulting in the snowfall.
Webcams captured the snow-covered ground shortly after sunrise on Monday, but it had melted away by Wednesday. Mauna Kea’s summit, considered sacred by Native Hawaiians, is uninhabited, providing a unique location for astronomers due to its limited light pollution and dry atmosphere. About a dozen telescopes have been built at the summit, leading to significant discoveries in astronomy.
Mauna Kea, known as the first-born son of the sky father and earth mother in Native Hawaiian stories, offers stunning views of the night sky and has contributed to Nobel Prize-winning research in the field of astronomy. While Hawaii is typically associated with warm weather and beaches, the snowfall on Mauna Kea offers a rare winter wonderland experience on the tropical island.
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