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Mauna Kea gets first snow
HILO, Hawaii (AP) -- Snow fell atop Mauna Kea for the first time this season over the weekend, but it melted two hours later.
About an inch fell Saturday morning, leading the Mauna Kea Weather Station to issue a 5:32 a.m. advisory that the road to the summit was closed. But the road reopened by about 9 a.m. as the warming day melted the covering. Josh Williams, an interpretive guide at the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, says the snow was just enough to make travel a nuisance, but not enough to play in. "Nothing monumental yet," said Williams.
The Big Island volcano's summit often gets snow, but this year's first snowfall came before the arrival of wintry weather, which usually begins around Thanksgiving or early December, said National Weather Service forecaster Eric Lau. The snow is fun to watch, but it hinders scientists trying to look at the stars from their telescopes on top of the mountain.
Astronomers with the W.M. Keck Observatory telescopes on the summit watched the snow start at about 1 a.m. Saturday, but the night was a wash for science. Three hours later, astronomers reluctantly wrote off hopes the sky would clear. The night's low temperature stood at 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mauna Kea, one of five volcanoes that form the Big island, is the highest point in the state at 13,796 feet. It houses 12 of the world's leading observatories for optical, infrared, and submillimeter astronomy. Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
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