Reply to ASK-AN-EARTH-SCIENTIST

I would like to know if it can snow in Hawaii??

The answer is "yes". It snows here every year, but only at the very summits of our 3 tallest volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala). The snow level almost never gets below 9000 feet in Hawaii during the winter, but since these mountains are taller than 13,000 feet, 13,000 feet, and 10,000 feet, respectively, they get dusted with snow a few times a year. It rarely stays on the ground for more than a few days though.

Although the rest of the island chain enjoys warm tropical weather the entire year-round, there have been "freak" cold storms a few times this century that have brought local snow storms down to as low as 3000 to 4000 feet. This snow has melted very quickly, however.

Ken Rubin, Professor

Department of Geology and Geophysics

University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822