Residents of Hawaii's Big Island woke on Tuesday to find the summit of Mauna Kea volcano dusted with a fresh layer of summer snow.
Considered both the world's tallest volcano and its tallest mountain (when measured from the ocean floor), Mauna Kea occasionally sees snow. But a storm in mid-June is relatively bizarre.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu said the dusting resulted from a combination of passing precipitation and "cold upper level temperatures."
The dormant volcano, which rises 13,796 feet above sea level, was also hit by a rare storm last July that brought 1.5 inches of snow and icy conditions to the summit.
The mountain’s weather is extremely unpredictable, according to the Mauna Kea Weather Center.
"A calm sunny day may quickly become treacherous with hurricane force winds and blizzard conditions," a MKWC statement warns. "Summit winds above 120 mph are not uncommon. Snowstorms have even occurred during the summer months."
Summer skiing on a volcano in Hawaii -- add that to your bucket list.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/06/14/hawaii-summer-snow-2016_n_10467332.html
