Snow In Hawaii? It IS Possible (VIDEO)

As word came out on Tuesday that all but one state in America had snow (that would be you, Florida), one obvious question arose: It can snow in Hawaii?

Our curiosity piqued when we found a video of Hawaiian residents shoveling snow and building snow men, much to the delight of islander children, back in December.

WATCH what people used to island temperatures do when it snows (one guy is even wearing shorts!):

Comments

[Prateek Panchal]

04:41 AM on 01/20/2011

Haha!!!! Nice post...... Nice video....

Thanks for sharing.

http://www.travelcostarica360.com/osa-peninsula.html

[Jesse P. Steinberg]

11:15 AM on 01/14/2011

Guess the people who wrote this article have never been to the Big Island. Mauna Kea is even taller than Mount Everest, but most of Mauna Kea is below the sea level, so people do not count that.

Mauna Kea (above sea level): well over 13000 ft
Mauna Kea (from sea floor): well over 33000 ft.

I miss home :(

[himaui]

09:53 PM on 01/13/2011

oh, i miss home. even the snow is prettier there. the sun reflecting off of tropical snow...isn't that someting?

[GeeBee]

12:08 PM on 01/13/2011

The article fails to point out that Mauna Kea means "White Mountain" in Hawai'ian. That should be a hint this happens quite often. I lived in Hilo and worked on that mountain for almost 5 years, and in that time saw snow up there in at least one of every calendar month. August snow was just a sprinkle compared to what could happen in the winter months of course. I think the longest we didn't get up there was 5 days after one storm.

If you're over there, take heed of the safety warnings. It's a wild place.

[bluekrikit]

10:31 AM on 01/13/2011

I still wish I could afford to retire there!!

[tonewheel]

09:43 AM on 01/13/2011

Ah, the things we take for granted!

[Eileenla]

07:59 AM on 01/13/2011

I drove across Saddle road on the Big Island at night last November...trust me, it snows in Hawaii at those higher elevations!

[Jeanpierre Prieur]

01:04 AM on 01/13/2011

Snow in Hawaii it's crazy - building snow men in Hawaii is Seriously disturbing!

"As word came out on Tuesday that all but one state in America had snow (that would be you, Florida), one obvious question arose: It can snow in Hawaii?
Our curiosity piqued when we found a video of Hawaiian residents shoveling snow and building snow men, much to the delight of islander children, back in December.
WATCH what people used to island temperatures do when it snows (one guy is even wearing shorts!):"
I need to put this "Funny cold news" on my blogs http://bestgreensandiego.wordpress.com/

[BevInSoCal]

08:06 PM on 01/12/2011

That was wonderful to see. The guy in shorts must be from LA ;-)

[JePense]

07:56 PM on 01/12/2011

Where did the mittens come from?

[GraniteSkyline]

07:45 PM on 01/12/2011

Big deal! You can ski the Alps and the Rockies most other mountains in shorts in the summertime as well!

I felt bad for that family though--somebody needs to send them snow shovels. I used to live near the beach in Florida and I used a snow shovel to push accumulated sand from my porch and sidewalk.

[Rick G]

07:40 PM on 01/12/2011

I've lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for over 11 years. It snows on the peaks of both Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa almost every winter, because both mountains are over 13,000 feet in elevation. The Big Island has 11 of the earth's 13 climate zones, all except arctic and Saharan. This morning although there was snow on Mauna Kea, the temperature at my home was a comfortable 75 degrees. The forecast for tonight (Wed) is for another 12-18 inches!

[mslindab]

08:21 PM on 01/12/2011

We are so jealous. Lived briefly in Hakalau. Perhaps one day we'll return!

[Thomas Bradley]

07:34 PM on 01/12/2011

...and two eyes made out of lave...

[SeenItBefore]

07:29 PM on 01/12/2011

Another attempt at a non-story. I have never visited Big Island (Hawaii) when there wasn't snow on Mauna Kea.

Many years ago, my friends husband took his new 4X4 long bed up and loaded it with snow so his kids and others in their kindergarten could build a snowman back in Hilo.

He burned out his brakes on the descent, but his heart was in the right place!

[Forester]

07:27 PM on 01/12/2011

Snow on Poipu beach would be news.