More evidence why comparisons between Jeju Island and Hawaii should be taken with a grain of salt.
Poor bastards have turned blue!
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Now that’s a snow storm
This entry was written by Robert Koehler, posted on December 19, 2005 at 12:44 pm, filed under South Korea. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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5 Comments
I think I read somewhere that subtropical Cheju-do is supposed to be one of the snowiest parts of South Korea, especially higher up. The “1000-meter Roadway” or whatever it’s called gets closed from time to time. But that’s hardly unique to Korea: in Southern California during the coldest and wettest parts of the year, the snow level would go down to as low as the 4000-foot elevation.
But Marmot…
More evidence why comparisons between Jeju Island and Hawaii should be taken with a grain of salt.
Not so fast, there. Thanks to its high mountains, tropical Hawaii’s higher elevations do receive considerable snowfall sometimes. Quoting the US Geological Service:Even today, snow falls on both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Both volcanoes are so high that snow falls during winter months, perhaps accumulating to a few meters depth. The seasonal snow cover on the steep slopes of Mauna Kea is easier to see from coastal areas than on the gentle, rounded slopes of Mauna Loa, whose summit cannot be seen from sea level.Of course, Honolulu at Christmastime is going to be more comfortable than Sogwipo is.
Yes, I once experienced an icy day on the island of Hawaii - I climbed up Mauna Loa to the cabin at 10,000 feet and stayed overnight. In the morning I continued on as the rain fell steadily. I quickly realized that my new rain coat was NO GOOD at all for keeping out the water. But still I trudged up the mountain as the rain turned to snow. Finally I could barely function from the cold but had the sense to turn around and stagger back to the cabin. So I survived to fight another day.
This wasn’t even in the winter - it was on an August day; hot down on the beach - likely around 86 Fahreinheit. A cool day down there would be about 84. At least Cheju, being part of Korea, presumably has Four Seasons…..
That is true that Hawaii does get snow but we all know that there is a higher probability of walking along waikiki and finding a baseball size raw diamond than getting snowed in visiting the islands while getting snowed in on Cheju is a definate possibility.
Much like the people that compare the Korean black barets to the US Navy SEALS
This wasn’t even in the winter - it was on an August day; hot down on the beach - likely around 86 Fahreinheit.
Really? That’s pretty amazing. I know that at the 10,000-foot level in California it gets around freezing at night, but California’s not in the tropics.
I did see snow flurries in Yosemite in late June, and of course the ice pack sometimes is so thick it doesn’t melt at all, but I never thought Hawaii would have that.
A cool day down there would be about 84. At least Cheju, being part of Korea, presumably has Four Seasons…..
Fun fact about Hawaii that I think is still true: the highest recorded temperature in both Alaska and Hawaii is the same, 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degress Celsius).
Mexico City is legally, in the tropics, but up at nearly 7,000 feet. The two coldest times of the year were winter and summer. In winter the snow line could almost reach our house (perched up on one of the passes leading out towards Toluca, the capital of Mexico State), and in summer, due to the rainy season, the temperature could drop down into the low 60s, which really felt cold. Coincidentally, those are the two seasons with the cleanest air. Fall and Spring, with clear skies, were warmer, and really polluted. In Santa Marta Colombia you used to be able to stand in the Caribbean, look back at the girls on the beach and admire their bikinis, glance up from the girls and see palm trees, green hills in the distance, clouds, and above the clouds, the snow covered peak of (I believe) el nevado de Colon. Awesome sight in the ’70s. Maybe all blocked by high rise apartments by now. Temperature in the tropics is altitude dependent. Even Rio gets cold during the antipodean winter, though it never snows. (Function of sea current in Rio’s case.)