Current:Home > ScamsA blizzard warning in Hawaii but no snow yet in Denver, in unusual December weather-LoTradeCoin
A blizzard warning in Hawaii but no snow yet in Denver, in unusual December weather
View Date:2025-01-11 13:44:14
Across the U.S., the weather is simply weird: The highest peaks of Hawaii spent the weekend under a blizzard warning, while record rainfall drenched the Pacific Northwest, unseasonably warm temperatures stretched across the Midwest and South, and a major snow drought in the Rockies means Denver has still not seen its first snowfall of the season.
The blizzard warning in Hawaii was first issued Thursday and remains in effect until early Sunday. Chances of snow were expected to peak Saturday afternoon then again Monday, according to a forecast by the Mauna Kea Weather Center.
The warning was prompted by the development of a large storm system off the coast of Hawaii, which has since stalled over the Big Island, "allowing extensive fog, ice and snow to plague the summit," the weather center wrote.
It's not unusual to see snow on Hawaii's tallest peaks, which rise more than 13,000 feet in elevation. A blizzard warning was last issued in the state in 2018.
But it is notable for the Pacific island state to see a blizzard warning before most of the continental U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
The only other places to see blizzard warnings so far this year are Alaska and the high plains of Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota, along with a small sliver of western Minnesota.
Meanwhile, unusually warm weather made the first few days of December feel more like October or even September in many places — with temperatures topping 80 degrees in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Carolina, and cresting 90 in southern Texas.
According to The Associated Press, 65 weather stations across the country set record high temperatures on Dec. 2.
Warm temperatures in combination with drought conditions mean snowpack is far below normal in the Rockies and California, where the northern Sierras have accumulated just 11% of a normal year's snowpack so far, according to the state's Department of Water Resources.
And in Denver, it has yet to snow at all this season.
"Denver has smashed the record for the latest first measurable snow this winter season," wrote the weather forecast office based in Boulder. The previous latest date of Nov. 21 was recorded in 1934.
As the Rockies face drought, the Pacific Northwest has been pummeled by much more rain than normal. In Bellingham, Wash., the 31-year-old record for most rainfall in meteorological fall (Sept. 1 through Nov. 30) was obliterated by more than 6 inches, a 37% increase. With the rain comes heightened risk of mudslides.
This weekend, winter will finally come for the far upper Midwest: a winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow to much of North Dakota, northern Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Part of the reason for the weather weirdness has to do with La Niña, a Pacific Ocean climate pattern that happens every few years. La Niña usually makes winters in the northern U.S. and Canada colder and wetter, while making it drier and warmer in the southern U.S.
And though scientists generally don't link any specific weather event to climate change, climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
veryGood! (967)
Related
- Today’s Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and More React to Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb as Co-Anchor
- NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games
- Cyberattack hits New York state government’s bill drafting office
- We Promise Checking Out Victoria Beckham's Style Evolution Is What You Really, Really Want
- A pregnant woman sues for the right to an abortion in challenge to Kentucky’s near-total ban
- Southern California city council gives a key approval for Disneyland expansion plan
- European astronomers discover Milky Way's largest stellar-mass black hole: What to know
- Man charged in transport of Masters golf tournament memorabilia taken from Augusta National
- Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
- Bond denied for 4 ‘God’s Misfits’ defendants in the killing of 2 Kansas women
Ranking
- Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
- Blake Griffin announces retirement: Six-time All-Star was of NBA's top dunkers, biggest names
- We Found Cute Kate Spade Mother’s Day Gifts That Will Instantly Make You the Favorite—and They're On Sale
- AP mock NFL draft 3.0: 8 trades, including 2 in the top 5 highlight AP’s final mock draft
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
- NFL draft order 2024: Where every team picks over seven rounds, 257 picks
- Arrest warrant issued for Pennsylvania State Representative Kevin Boyle, police say
- Man up for parole more than 2 decades after Dartmouth professor stabbing deaths
Recommendation
-
What is prize money for NBA Cup in-season tournament? Players get boost in 2024
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Ham Sandwiches
-
This Fashion Designer Is Joining The Real Housewives of New York City Season 15
-
A storm dumps record rain across the desert nation of UAE and floods the Dubai airport
-
Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
-
University of Texas confirms nearly 60 workers were laid off, most in former DEI positions
-
Zendaya Serves Another Ace With Stunning Look at L.A. Challengers Premiere
-
Emma Roberts Reveals the Valuable Gift She Took Back From Her Ex After They Split