Snow, Ice and High Winds Make Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Unsafe

The summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaiʻi Island experienced a hazardous winter weather pattern on Feb. 21–22, 2026, with forecast and observed conditions including snow, freezing rain or ice, and wind-driven hazards that made travel above about 12,000 feet unsafe. That advisory language is the only explicit guidance in the original local report; no issuing agency was specified in those details.

Available notes list the timeframe and the three primary hazards - snow, freezing rain or ice, and wind-driven conditions - but do not include measurements such as summit wind speeds, gusts, temperatures, snow depths, or ice accretion at the high elevations of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The report also does not identify any road or facility closures, evacuations, search-and-rescue incidents, or power outages on Hawaiʻi Island tied to the Feb. 21–22 summit conditions.

Nationally, separate winter systems affected other regions on adjacent dates. A major nor’easter, variously described as Winter Storm Hernando or the Blizzard of 2026, impacted the Northeastern United States on Feb. 22–23, 2026, with forecasts of as much as 2 feet (24 in; 61 cm) of snow across much of the Northeast megalopolis and measured maximum snowfall of 26.5 in (67 cm) near Islip, New York. Compiled metrics for that storm include highest sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), a highest gust of 98 mph (158 km/h) recorded at Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and a lowest reported sea-level pressure of 966 mbar (28.53 inHg); power outages topped 600,000 and two fatalities were recorded.

Boston-area forecasts and operational briefings warned the storm's strong gusts combined with heavy, wet snow could cause widespread tree damage and prolonged power losses. “Winds like that, combined with heavy, wet snow, are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service's Boston office. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul cautioned that restoration efforts would wait until it was safe for line crews to work: “The line men and women are not going up there to restore power if they have to go up on a power line. So … people have to understand that we will do it as soon as it's safe to have that occur,” she said.

An earlier, separate Upper Midwest system on Feb. 18, 2026, produced a narrow band of heavy snow across southern Minnesota into central Wisconsin, with totals generally 6 to 9 inches and a few reports over a foot. That storm prompted large portions of HWY 61 to be closed along Minnesota's North Shore and produced MNDOT plow-camera imagery showing reduced visibility; a portion of I-94 eastbound was temporarily closed near Roberts, Wisconsin, during the event.

The timing and locations in the available reports indicate at least three distinct winter episodes: Feb. 18 in the Upper Midwest, system formation Feb. 20 with the nor’easter intensifying Feb. 22–23 in the Northeast, and Feb. 21–22 at the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa summits. No source in the compiled material links the Hawaiʻi summit conditions meteorologically to the Northeast nor’easter or the Minnesota storm.

Key local details remain outstanding for Hawaiʻi Island: the identity of the agency that issued the advisory about travel above about 12,000 feet, summit observations (wind, temperature, snowfall, ice), and any road, observatory, or facility closures. Those confirmations from NWS Honolulu, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, Mauna Kea operations and Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation are necessary to fully assess public-safety and critical-infrastructure impacts from the Feb. 21–22 summit hazards.