If you're dreaming of a white Christmas in Hawai'i, better head to the Big Island, where Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea got their first dusting of snow for the holiday season.

About 3 inches of snow fell Wednesday, down to the 12,000-foot level, but it quickly melted away, according to Mauna Kea ranger Pablo McLoud. Another 3 inches was deposited overnight, but by yesterday afternoon about 80 percent of it was gone.

McLoud said local families usually stream up to the 13,796-foot summit of Mauna Kea at the first sign of snow, but with heavy cloud cover obscuring the mountaintop, few on the Big Island were aware of the snowfall.

Still, visitors to Mauna Kea yesterday were able to romp in snow and hurl snowballs, he said. It was not nearly enough to meet the requirements of skiers and snowboarders.

The Mauna Kea Weather Center reported a daytime temperature of 23 degrees Wednesday, with the mercury plunging to 5 degrees at night, said forecast meteorologist Ryan Lyman. The weather center provides sky-watching forecasts for the 13 observatories on the mountain.

Lyman said the snow and cold temperatures are associated with the same weather system that brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of the state this week. Earlier storms generated brief snowfall on the volcanoes on two occasions since late September, he said.

McLoud said the wintry weather typically starts around Thanksgiving or early December, with snow arriving every two or three weeks through April. He urged Mauna Kea visitors to call (808) 935-6268 for a recorded message on weather and road conditions before heading up to the summit. The road is sometimes closed because of snow and ice.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.