sPosted on: Friday, December 13, 2002

Island snow falls on Mauna Kea

Advertiser Staff

Mauna Kea lived up to its name again with a dusting of snow overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Temperatures at the summit of the 13,796-foot peak, whose name means "white mountain," were in the mid-20s Tuesday night, nothing out of the ordinary for this time of the year, said Ron Koehler, general manager for Mauna Kea Support Services.

About an inch of snow covered the mountaintop down to 12,500-foot elevation, he said. Although Mauna Kea experiences snowfall periodically throughout the year, it was the first time this season that the summit road was closed because of icy conditions, according to Koehler.

Snow plows helped open the road around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he said. No other problems were reported.