Snow has arrived in Hawaiʻi

I realize that it is only mid-October but yesterday (October 13, 2014) we had our first snow storm of the season. The summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa had a fair amount of snow. We often have snow earlier than many places on the mainland. You can view the site below at: http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/jac-bin/irtvid. You are seeing the view from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). I prefer the UKIRT site to  others  on the mountain because it not only gives you a view near the summit, but also gives the current weather conditions on the same page.

It is quite evident from the picture that not enough snow fell to make it a ski day for the island residents. That will come later in the season. We usually get enough snow to ski, but there are no ski lifts. You need to have a group with a four-wheel drive vehicle, You drive to the top of the slope and everyone except the driver skis down. The driver takes the vehicle to the bottom and picks everyone up and returns to the top. Drivers are then switched so that everyone gets a chance to ski.