Snow fell on Hawaii's tallest peak this week, briefly turning the mountaintop into a winter wonderland. The summit area of Mauna Kea on the Big Island got about 2 inches of white powder.

Hawaii is better known to many for its warm weather, beaches and rainforests. But it's not unusual for snow to fall at the higher elevations on Mauna Kea during the wetter, winter months.

Shannon Wianecki grew up in Hawaii and writes about the Islands regularly. Hilo sits between the sea, the often-snow-capped summit of Mauna Kea and the smoldering Kilauea volcano. Twice swept ...