Snow in a tropical paradise?

It looks like the Swiss Alps at the top of the Big Island of Hawaii's two highest peaks Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Flakes began falling Thursday night at elevations as low as 8,000 feet, and up to a foot is expected to accumulate at the summits by Friday afternoon.

The sub-freezing temperatures are a result of an upper level low pressure area, and as the low combines with a moisture front in the southeast, Hawaii News Now reports, unstable conditions could spur bursts of heavy snow at the highest elevations.

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Temperatures below freezing and snow are common on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and the Big Island is one of those rare places where you can surf and ski in the same day.

But it could be awhile before locals put down their surf boards and pick up their skis as the the roads to the summits are closed due to heavy snow and icy roadways.