In the colder months, it’s not uncommon for snow to fall on on Hawaii’s mountain peaks since they are nearly 14,000 feet high.
Ash ‘tornado’ forms next to volcano in Hawaii
An ash “tornado” formed next to Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano as it erupted.
Yes, it’s snowing in Hawaii, where a winter weather advisory is indeed in effect.
However, it’s only snowing on Hawaii’s high mountain volcano summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island. (The forecast high temperature in Honolulu is 82 degrees.)
According to the National Weather Service, “deep tropical moisture will continue to move over the eastern end of the state through Wednesday (Nov. 19) and bring a mix of rain and snow showers to the Big Island summits.”
Weather watchers will note this isn’t the first time in fall 2025 such an alert has been issued. The National Weather Service office in Hawaii told USA TODAY the office also issued a winter weather advisory in mid-October.
How rare is snow in Hawaii?
National Weather Service forecaster Tom Birchard told USA TODAY earlier this year that, on average, it might snow at the summits some five to eight times a year, so it’s “not that unusual” overall.
“Mauna Kea means white mountain in Hawaiian,” he said, indicating that snow is a regular occurrence at the peaks.
Most of the snow occurs during the “wet season,” which lasts roughly from October through April.
In the colder months, it’s not uncommon for snow to fall on on Hawaii’s mountain peaks since they are nearly 14,000 feet high. Mauna Kea has a sub-Arctic climate, the weather service said.
“As long as we have deep enough clouds to support ice crystals, and when you have cold enough temperatures at the summit level, you can get snowfall,” said Matthew Foster, a staff meteorologist with the weather service in Honolulu, in 2018.
The only other area of Hawaii that gets snow with any regularity is the Haleakalā volcano on Maui, which at about 10,000 feet gets snow once every five years or so, the weather service said.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Hawaii was 12 degrees on Mauna Kea on May 17, 1979, the weather service said.
How much snow will fall?
Snow accumulations of around 1 to 2 inches are possible, the weather service said.
According to the weather service, “increasing thick clouds over the Big Island summits could briefly produce light snow accumulations this morning as precipitation increases.”
“The winter weather advisory currently runs through today (Nov. 19) and could be extended through Thursday morning Nov. 20 as the deep moisture lingers and overnight temperatures dip to near freezing.”
“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the weather service warned. “A winter weather advisory means that periods of snow will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities and use caution while driving.”
What’s the forecast for the rest of Hawaii?
Moderate to locally heavy rainfall will possible mainly along windward and inland areas of Maui and the Big Island this morning (Nov. 19) before spreading to the other islands this afternoon, the weather service said. “The chance of heavy rainfall will diminish later today, but breezy and showery trades will persist through Thursday (Nov. 20).”
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, with a focus on weather and climate.
