Why is it possible for a high mountain at the equator to be covered by snow?

Answer 1

Temperatures near the equator are high all year round (except at altitude). In many tropical regions people identify two seasons: wet and dry. However, most places close to the equator are wet throughout the year, and seasons can vary depending on a variety of factors including elevation and proximity to an ocean.

The surface of the Earth at the equator is mainly ocean. The highest point on the equator is 4,690 m (15,387'), at [show location on an interactive map] 00°00′00″S, 77°59′31″W on the south slopes of Volcán Cayambe (summit 5,790 m, 18,996') in Ecuador. This is a short distance above the snow line, and this point and its immediate vicinity form the only section of the equator where snow lies on the ground

Answer 2

Temperatures near the equator are high all year round (except at altitude). In many tropical regions people identify two seasons: wet and dry. However, most places close to the equator are wet throughout the year, and seasons can vary depending on a variety of factors including elevation and proximity to an ocean.

The surface of the Earth at the equator is mainly ocean. The highest point on the equator is 4,690 m (15,387'), at [show location on an interactive map] 00°00′00″S, 77°59′31″W on the south slopes of Volcán Cayambe (summit 5,790 m, 18,996') in Ecuador. This is a short distance above the snow line, and this point and its immediate vicinity form the only section of the equator where snow lies on the ground

Answer 3

Snowfalls occur at the equator only above the line of freezing temperatures, which is between 4,500 and 4,600 metres or 18,000 feet above sea level. Between this latitude and around 3,000 metres or 9,800 feet, there is a pattern of nightly freezes followed by a strong daily thaw all year round due to the combination of thin chilled air and extremely high solar radiation. Even above the snow line, there is some thaw but it is more than balanced by freezing and with the high precipitation snow remains on the ground, as with Mount Kenya, the Rwenzoris and the Tropical Andes.

It should be noted that the snow line at the equator is by no means the highest in the world. Slightly longer days and stable air at the Tropics means that more snow can be melted and less will fall. Even in the humid Himalayas the snow line is around 5,500 to 5,600 metres and in the Desert Andes it is as high as 6,500 metres. As far from the equator as the Uinta Mountains in Utah at 43˚N, the snow line is still as high as at the equator due to low precipitation and long, hot summer days.

Answer 4

The higher elevation of the mountain can explain the snow.