Blizzard warnings issued ... for Hawaii?
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, December 24, 2014, 6:12 PM - This sounds like the setup to a joke.
But we assure you, the U.S. National Weather Service has indeed issued blizzard warnings for the island paradise of Hawaii, and on Christmas Eve, no less.
The NWS says winds have increased rapidly since Christmas Eve morning, and up to 20 cm could fall through to Christmas Eve, some bands even capable of producing lightning.
They're also warning of "extremely hazardous and potentially life-threatening conditions for anyone attempting to drive or hike to the summits."
#Hawaii #snow RT@nwsgray: A couple views of Mauna Kea this AM from UH Hilo & National Astronomical Obs. of Japan. pic.twitter.com/GroJ0OZfUH
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) December 24, 2014
"Summits" is the key to understanding how this could be remotely possible: The affected areas (see the map above) are all on the higher elevations of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, 3,500 m above sea level.
The rest of the state is under a flash flood watch, as the system bringing the snow is bringing major rainfall to the region.
According to the Weather Channel, this is only the second blizzard warning issued by the NWS for Hawaii since 1986 (the other one, issued in December of 2007, left snow drifts of more than 2 m in some areas, also near the peaks).
That doesn't mean it's only snowed twice since 1986, only that the expected snowfall met the criteria for warnings. The Weather Channel says the summits receive a dusting of snow a handful of times a year.
