Hawaii and Alaska Blizzard Warnings

[street]

Koolau, looks like you will be sledding on Sunday! Lol

Just seen the weather and two states calling for massive snow and blizzard conditions with high winds. Interesting!!!

 

[kgtest]

Koolau, looks like you will be sledding on Sunday! Lol

Just seen the weather and two states calling for massive snow and blizzard conditions with high winds. Interesting!!!

La Nina? That seems crazy, but I suppose the peaks of Haleakala do get snow, and of course AK gets snow plenty.

 

[street]

The clip I read on it is Hawaii is expected for a foot of white stuff. Maybe a white Christmas in the land of the sun. Lol

Koolau, is probably trying to find his shovel and long johns. Lol

Just having some fun, Koolau!!

 

[SecondAttempt]

OMG, the mainland media is loving this! We have a blizzard warning for about 1000 acres on one island, the Big Island. Just the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. But they are expected to get 12 inches of snow over the weekend and there will be skiers and snowboarders up there! Probably a decent chance of Haleakala on Maui getting snow as well.

I think for a NWS forecaster issuing a blizzard warning for Hawaii is a career checkbox! Someone got their wings today!

 

[street]

Blizzard warning till 6AM national weather just said, and up to 100 MPH winds.

 

[pacergal]

I read that also, a cyclone maybe?
Most likely only on the mountains, but snow on the beach would be cool, as long as all are safe!

 

[street]

pacergal, yes, I believe only up high is where the snow will fall. Just a rarer weather event than normal. Sometimes about snow and Hawaii just doesn't seem normal. Lol

 

[f35phixer]

Haleakala on Maui getting snow as well..

We had biked down Haleakala... very cool day. Sister couldn't handle it, took the van of shame down ;-)

Bet there are people scrambling to get up there today !

 

[Ian S]

Several years when we visited the Big Island, we took a commercial tour to the Mauna Kea summit. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped rapidly into the 30's so I'm not surprised that they would get snow there. An actual blizzard has got to be highly unusual though.

 

[Gumby]

The top of Mauna Kea is 13,803 feet high and Mauna Loa is only 125 feet shorter, so it should come as no surprise that there will be snow there occasionally.

 

[NW-Bound]

OMG, the mainland media is loving this! We have a blizzard warning for about 1000 acres on one island, the Big Island. Just the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. But they are expected to get 12 inches of snow over the weekend and there will be skiers and snowboarders up there! Probably a decent chance of Haleakala on Maui getting snow as well.

I think for a NWS forecaster issuing a blizzard warning for Hawaii is a career checkbox! Someone got their wings today!

I wonder how many Hawaiians own ski equipment.

 

[aja8888]

I wonder how many Hawaiians own ski equipment.

Most have sunglasses. That should help!

 

[street]

^ LOL!!

 

[Koolau]

Sorry, I've been tied up with some other stuff, so haven't yet commented. Big local news is the "blizzard" on Big Island - with pictures. Of course, it's not really new. Snow isn't that uncommon at 12,000 feet.

Back when we were tourists, we went to the top of Haleakala (10,000 feet on Maui) to watch sunrise (in January.) It was COLD! Fortunately, they had built a tempered glass shelter to block the wind. Folks were bundled up in hotel blankets and layers of beach wraps!

As far as Oahu is concerned, it has been cold - for us. We set a daily low record a couple of days ago - I think it was 56.

We're in the midst of a Kona Low which is hanging around. We're getting daily highs of upper 70s. At night, I've switched out the regular sheet for a flannel sheet. I have the comforter handy - just in case. I'll need it in January.

Big deal has been lots of rain and lots of wind. We've lost power and internet/TV several times. Bummer.

Other than minor inconvenience, it's not a big deal. I just feel sorry for the tourists who had put off travel due to Covid 19 and now are getting rained on and blown around on the street.

Thanks to street for the concern! Aloha.

 

[street]

Koolau, I haven't seen you around lately, you must have been up skiing on those Hawaii slopes? Lol

 

[Koolau]

Koolau, I haven't seen you around lately, you must have been up skiing on those Hawaii slopes? Lol

Heh, heh as Roger Miller sang: You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd."

We don't have any snow to ski on (here at sea level) and, for that matter, it's raining so hard, I can't even see the ocean less than a mile away, so water skiing is out of the question - we might get wet.

We had to move all the chairs in off the lanai because the rain is out of the south and is flooding the floor (fortunately, the water DOES run back out.)

We lost our primary internet connection due to wind, but I have a back up so that I can keep everyone informed of our survival of inclement weather.

Thanks for everyone's concerns. I think this is all supposed to blow out in a couple of days. Until then, I'll avoid going out if possible - mostly to stay dry.

Aloha.

 

[street]

^ Lol! Have a good one.
I think I would rather be wet than cold. We had -10 this morning the coldest of the year. Friday, I was in short sleeves digging and with no frozen ground on fencing and well. I think that is going to change pretty fast now.

 

[Koolau]

Oh, and just so in case the "less sophisticated" among us doubt the song title "You Can't Roller skate in a Buffalo Herd", here is an excerpt. By the way Roger Miller - by his own admission - was probably one of the greatest song writers who ever lived.

Heh, heh, YMMV.

And just so this post isn't a total waste, here is some Hawaiian snow for you.

From January this year:

Y'all come!

 

[street]

^ outstanding!! Thanks, Lol

 

[street]

I see the flooding in Hawaii, has been very bad just like you mentioned. Hope for the best for all in those conditions.

 

[Koolau]

In my area, the flooding has been minimal. I was here on vacation in (IIRC) '88 or '89. The Island got 30 inches of rain in 1-24 hour period. Where I live now, there was 3 feet of mud across the main coast road the next day.

We have HUGE storm channels for the rain to run off. They are extremely effective in preventing flooding. BUT back in the late '80s, locals dumped their trash (from kitchen trash to old cars and even pick-ups) in the storm drains. So, sure enough the area flooded - badly. Cars (not the ones in the drains) were floating down streets!

NOW, (hopefully) lesson learned, and we keep the junkers pulled out of the storm drains. So far so good.

BUT, I lost my email for 2 days which is why I've been incommunicado of late.

Good to be back.

Aloha.

 

[street]

^ great to have you back. Thanks

 

[Koolau]

Brief update: With TV back on, we got to watch the damage reports last night for the Honolulu area. So far, it appears perhaps one house completely destroyed and about 200 damaged. Lots of folks using squeegees, etc. to scoop mud out of their homes. It's really sad to watch. I know W2R has seen a lot more of this than I have, but it's tragic wherever it happens.

I recognize most of the areas where flooding was bad. It happens every time we have a Kona low or near-miss hurricane. Some folks are in the valley channels and are more or less on borrowed time. One valley gets it bad this time, and another valley next time.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem as bad as I would have guessed with the near constant rains for 3 days in a row. Still some isolated power outages, but nothing we aren't used to here in Paradise.

 

[kgtest]

Brief update: With TV back on, we got to watch the damage reports last night for the Honolulu area. So far, it appears perhaps one house completely destroyed and about 200 damaged. Lots of folks using squeegees, etc. to scoop mud out of their homes. It's really sad to watch. I know W2R has seen a lot more of this than I have, but it's tragic wherever it happens.



I recognize most of the areas where flooding was bad. It happens every time we have a Kona low or near-miss hurricane. Some folks are in the valley channels and are more or less on borrowed time. One valley gets it bad this time, and another valley next time.



Fortunately, it doesn't seem as bad as I would have guessed with the near constant rains for 3 days in a row. Still some isolated power outages, but nothing we aren't used to here in Paradise.

my friends from the Kihei/Maui Meadows area where I used to live have been sending me pictures. Its sad the amount of mud I am seeing. What a mess. I agree that my close family experienced much worse when Katrina wiped out there city of Waveland but neither event is pretty. I hope they get all the resources they need to get back to as close to normal as possible.

 

[Winemaker]

I'm seeing the moisture that hit Hawaii is now set to hit the California coast soon. 1.5-2.5 inches expected in Bay Area and Sacramento and up to a foot of snow in the Sierras.