Posted on 02/11/2019 8:32:04 PM PST by EdnaMode
An extremely powerful winter storm is pulling away from Hawaii after unleashing damaging winds, massive waves, coastal flooding and snow in unusual places.
The storm, which the National Weather Service office in Honolulu described as “historic,” began pounding the islands Friday. Hawaii News Now reported a 66-year-old California man died in the rough surf off northwest Maui on Friday.
Forecasters “are calling this an unprecedented event and we concur that we rarely if ever have seen the combination of record high onshore waves, coupled with gale force winds,” said Sam Lemmo, administrator of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
The storm’s most extreme blow was generated on the Big Island’s towering peak of Mauna Kea, where a 191-mph wind gust blasted the mountain summit at 4:40 p.m. local time Sunday.
“That’s the strongest wind gust I’ve ever seen up there,” said Jon Jelsema, senior forecaster at the Weather Service office in Honolulu. “We tend to get a gust maybe to 150 mph once a winter or so, but never 191 mph.”
The visitor station on the 13,308-foot mountain is closed until Tuesday “due to the predicted continuation of severe weather,” according to the station’s website. The road is shut down whenever visibility drops below 50 feet, or winds gust to 65 mph or greater.
Hawaii saw a mixed bag of bizarre precipitation over the weekend. Several inches of snow fell on Haleakalā, a shield volcano in East Maui — something Jelsema described as “very unusual.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Hey, Obama’s birth certificate just blew into my back yard. Let’s see now, born in ...
I KNEW IT @@ !!!
When it is called “rare” by the media today, then you know it is not near record-setting - it has happened before on multiple occasions, just not very much.
Trade?
Hey....if they would just have TAXED their people more, they could have STOPPED that wind!! If only.
I kind of like it. Its something like Jerry Stiller doing an impression of Steven Wright. Keep going, you wouldnt be the first to become a star in their later years.
The weather “pounced” upon the poor oppressed Hawaiians.
President Trump’s fault.
Yep. Plus I suppose that is a wet cold like Florida. I had a lot of people say to me when the temperature was in the 60’s,”I am from up North and this is cold to me.”
I drove to the summit of Haleakala last dec, rented a Cadillac CTS, the road from the park entrance and upwards was brand new, smooth as a billiard table, but you drive almost 35 miles of switchbacks up and down, the grade is pretty steep, even a 4wd with studded snow tires might find it challenging and i doubt many tourists had anything better than useless all season tires. So they shut it down.
I would really love to live at the mid way point up at the 5,000 foot elevation, beautiful little village like area there full of eucalyptus trees, cooler than the lower part of Maui.
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