Snow blankets Hawaii summits amid winter storm warning

Snow blankets Hawaii summits amid winter storm warning
In this image made from webcam video provided by Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, the CFHT telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island is covered in snow on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Hawaii's Big Island as wind and snow engulf the high peaks. (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope via AP)

It's wintertime in Hawaii.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Hawaii's Big Island as wind and snow engulf the high peaks.

Up to a foot of snow is possible on the summits of Hawaii's Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes above 12,000 feet. Workers at the summit of Mauna Kea, where several of the world's most advanced telescopes are located, have been removing wind swept snow drifts along the access road all day. The summit is currently closed to the public because of icy and dangerous conditions.

Meteorologists say the summits could see periods of with wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour through Friday evening.

Snow blankets Hawaii summits amid winter storm warning
This photo provided by Grant Matsushige, an Instrumentation Specialist at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, shows the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island covered in snow as seen from Waimea, Hawaii on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Hawaii's Big Island as wind and snow engulf the high peaks. (Grant Matsushige/Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope via AP)

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Citation: Snow blankets Hawaii summits amid winter storm warning (2016, December 2) retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2016-12-blankets-hawaii-summits-winter-storm.html
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