Up to 4 inches of additional snow forecast for Big Island summits

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Up to 4 inches of additional snow is forecast to fall on the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa summits by Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Honolulu says.

The forecasters say 2 to 4 inches more snow could fall by 6 p.m. Thursday in areas above 11,000 feet in elevation on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Temperatures at the summit remain in the mid-20s, according to the service. Expect west winds around 45 to 65 mph with gusts topping 85 mph.

Travel to the summit either on foot or by vehicle may be dangerous and is discouraged. During times of freezing fog, visibility could be reduced to less than 0.25 mile.

The Mauna Kea access road was closed as of 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the Mauna Kea Weather Center. The closure was prompted because of blizzard and whiteout conditions at the summit. The center expects the closure to remain in effect through the day.