Hale Pohaku experiences rare snowfall

A rare dusting of snow covered the ground Tuesday at Hale Pohaku, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship’s midlevel facility at the 9,300-foot level of Maunakea.

“Over the past few days we have had a good amount of rain coming into Hilo and combined with the cold temperatures from the recent cold front, we got a beautiful dusting of snow (Tuesday) morning,” said Nahua Guilloz, director of stewardship programs at CMS.

The last time it snowed there was February 2020.

Snow and ice conditions led to the closure Tuesday of the Maunakea Access Road, although the midlevel mountain show had melted.

For Maunakea Access Road conditions, including closures, call (808) 935-6268 24 hours a day.