Heavy Snow in Hawaii
Every heavy snow event the National Weather Service has filed in Hawaii, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
The most significant on the map
The most significant heavy snow episodes in Hawaii.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 7
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Hawaii, February 22 to 26, 2018With an upper trough west of the islands and a surface trough over the state, heavy showers, including thunderstorms, formed across the local area. Heavy snow also fell over the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, January 25 to 26, 1996Heavy snow accumulating to 8 inches, with winds to 50 mph causing considerable drifting snow of 4 to 6 feet closed the road from 10,000 ft to the 13,796 ft summit of Mauna Kea.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, February 21 to 22, 1999Upper level trough and moist unstable airmass produced heavy snow that fell over the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Snow depth of 5 to 6 inches was reported by UH-Hilo personnel.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, January 9, 1999A storm brought about 4 inches of snow to Mauna Kea. The Mauna Kea summit access road was shut down, but was reopened in the afternoon because weather conditions improved. Winds caused snow drifts to form more than 1 foot deep.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, February 11 to 13, 2001An upper low 500 miles southwest of the state produced wintry weather at the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii. Four inches of snow fell near the summit of Mauna Kea over two and a half days.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, December 5, 2016Heavy snow and large snow drifts closed the Mauna Kea access road.
- Heavy Snow in Hawaii, March 2 to 4, 2023A surge of deep moisture moved over the Big Island and combined with a relatively low freeing level to generate periods of heavy snow and freezing rain at times.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.