It snowed in Hawaii this week, while Denver, Boston wait for first flakes

The summits of Hawaii were covered in white this week, but snow in the mountains there isn't as unusual as you might think.

It snowed in Hawaii this week, and various research webcams on the summits showed the snow on the ground on Tuesday. But it's not as unusual as many might think.

A winter weather advisory was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Hawaii for up to 4 inches of snow on the Big Island summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, which both rise above 13,000 feet, higher than the tallest points in 44 U.S. states.

Because of their high elevations, the mountains in Hawaii routinely get snow during the fall, winter and spring. Snow isn't officially measured in the state, but on average for the last 20 years, 25 to 30 winter weather advisories are issued for the peaks each year.

Blizzard warnings for heavy snow and extreme winds are less common but do happen. The NWS last issued one for the summits in December 2021. The earliest winter weather advisory in the fall during the last 20 years was on Oct. 13, 2014; the latest was in spring on June 8, 2018.

While temperatures held near the freezing point during the first half of Tuesday, they spiked to 39 F (4 C) by evening, and, along with rain, melted the snow in time for a brilliant sunset.

This isn't the first time it snowed in Hawaii this fall. A winter weather advisory for freezing rain and snow was issued on Oct. 24. This is the second snow event in Hawaii this year; however, it comes earlier than several major U.S. cities that haven't measured snow yet, including Denver and Boston. Denver will tie for second place for latest autumn snow on Friday.

The forecast is for drier weather. “In the wake of the most recent storm that brought snow to the mountains," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Larson said, "generally dry weather is expected across Hawaii the rest of the week and into the weekend, aside from typical trade wind showers.”

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