Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Hawaiian Islands Hammered With Heavy Rain, Snow This Weekend

Hawaii finds itself slammed with heavy precipitation this weekend due to a “Kona low” storm system that runs counter to normal trade winds, with another on the way this week.


Hawaiian Islands Hammered With Heavy Rain, Snow This Weekend

Visitors to Hawaii this weekend aren't getting the sunny winter getaway they were likely expecting, as a deluge of heavy rain and even snow continues to sweep across the state.

A cold-weather storm system, known as a "Kona low", funneled tropical moisture over the islands, triggering downpours from Thursday and Friday through the rest of the weekend.

As of this afternoon, weather alerts remained in effect for every inch of the Big Island, portending potential hazards ranging from flash flooding and high surf to freezing rain and heavy snowfall at higher elevations.

In the mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, temperatures hover at or below freezing, while gusty winds blow drifting snow that reduces significantly visibility blowing and icy roads have made travel impossible during the most intense periods of precipitation. By the weekend's end, the summits could have accumulated more than two feet of snow.

"Kona lows are most common during the late fall, winter and spring and are associated with a southward plunge of cold air over the central Pacific Ocean," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Maggie Samuhel.

"When a Kona low sets up to the west and northwest of Hawaii, it disrupts the normal trade wind patterns. A more southerly wind flow pulls deep tropical moisture northward across the island chain," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

In the native Hawaiian tongue, the word "Kona" refers to the western or southwestern side of an island. During a Kona low, the wind pattern results in the heaviest precipitation falling on the leeward side of the islands, which normally don't receive a lot of rain.

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