Dear Tom,
You recently said the most southerly occurrence of snow in the Lower 48 was in Homestead, Fla., but Hawaii, the 50th state, is farther south. Does it ever snow there?
Thomas Levin
Dear Thomas,
Indeed, Hawaii is the nation’s southernmost state, and snow does fall there on occasion–but only on the state’s most lofty elevations. Because air temperatures decrease approximately 5 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation, snow-producing conditions are occasionally possible on Hawaii’s highest mountains. The National Weather Service in Honolulu says major winter storms can sometimes deposit a foot or more of snow on Haleakala (elevation 10,023 feet), Mauna Loa (13,679 feet) and Mauna Kea (13,796 feet). However, snow cover lasts only a few days on those summits.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
