The world’s tallest volcano in the summit of Mauna Kea was dusted with a layer of summer snow Tuesday morning.
Not only is Mauna Kea considered the world’s tallest volcano, but also the tallest mountain when measured from the ocean floor. The volcano occasionally sees snow, but a storm in mid-June is odd.
The dusting came from a combination of passing precipitation and “cold upper-level temperatures,” according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
Last July the dormant volcano was hit by a rare storm which brought 1.5 inches of snow and icy conditions to the area. According to the Mauna Kea Weather Center, the mountain has proven to have extremely unpredictable weather.
“A calm sunny day may quickly become treacherous with hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions,” a Mauna Kea Weather Center statement said. “Snowstorms have even occurred during the summer months.”
The odd weather for such a sunny place in the world is not so strange after all.
