Blizzard Warnings in Effect for Alaska and ... Hawaii?

Aloha State may get a foot of snow or more in the Big Island mountains, with 100mph wind gusts
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2021 6:30 AM CST
Blizzard Warnings in Effect for Alaska and ... Hawaii?
Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.   (Getty Images/okimo)

It's typical for Alaska to have blizzard warnings at this time of year. Hawaii, not so much. But as winter approaches without any measurable snow in Denver, as well as below-average snowfall in most of the contiguous United States, the Aloha State was the only other state in addition to its far-north neighbor to have a blizzard warning as of Friday, reports CNN. The National Weather Service in Honolulu is forecasting a foot or snow or more over the weekend in the Big Island mountains, with wind gusts of up to 100mph.

ABC News notes the blizzard warning is in effect for the summits through 6am local time on Sunday. It's been more than three and a half years since Hawaii last saw such a warning, according to Iowa State University stats. "Travel could be very difficult to impossible," noted an alert from NWS Honolulu, per ABC. "Blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility at times, with periods of zero visibility," and "the strong winds will likely cause significant drifting of snow." Heavy rainfall is expected across most of the rest of Hawaii, with a flood watch in place for all of the state's islands through Monday.

As for the rest of the country, many are left wondering if it's going to be a white Christmas. "November 2021 really put the 'no' in snow, with a majority of the country seeing below average snowfall last month," the NWS Weather Prediction Center tweeted on Thursday. "The only exceptions were located around the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest, and Upper Midwest. Who's hoping Old Man Winter makes a comeback in December?" (California is worried about its own snow situation, in a different way.)

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