Surf of up to 60 feet is forecast on Sunday as an unusually strong storm system moves toward the islands from the north over the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement saying the storm will send a powerful swell toward the islands that will impact exposed north and west facing shores with very high surf. Additionally, the combination of strong onshore winds and high surf will increase the potential for significant coastal flooding, according to the NWS. A high surf warning remains in place for the north and west facing shores of Molokaʻi and the north facing shores of Maui until 6 a.m. on Monday. The long-period NW swell will spread down the island chain with surf of 20 to 30 feet expected today, 25 to 35 feet on Saturday and 40 to 60 feet on Sunday along north facing shores. The NWS says, “A deepening low pressure system approaching the state from the north on Saturday will produce giant disorganized waves, and could cause unprecedented coastal flooding from late Saturday through Sunday along exposed north and west facing shores. Extreme harbor surges are also expected in north and west facing harbors this weekend.” ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD The NWS reminds the public that inexperienced individuals should remain off beaches and adjacent beachfront areas as shorebreak and dangerous currents make entering the water extremely hazardous. There’s also extremely high winds forecast for this weekend (Feb. 9 and 10, 2019) at the summit of Haleakalā on Maui. The National Park Service issued an advisory today that they may close the Summit District of Haleakalā National Park to high-aspect vehicles (trucks, buses and vans) or to all vehicles with minimal notice. Closures will be implemented to protect visitor and employee safety.<doc-sep>A historically-strong Kona low fired up along a frontal boundary north of the Hawaiian Islands this past weekend, with hurricane-force winds recorded between the low pressure and strong high pressure anchored just to the west. The storm dove straight at Kauai on Sunday, setting a hard left rail a few hundred miles before landfall, skirting eastward, with the center of the low passing just north of the Islands. For all intents and purposes, without our meteorological-minds getting involved, the Hawaiian Islands experienced tropical storm-like conditions this past weekend — and some of the biggest surf ever witnessed or measured in the Islands. Here are some key data takeaways from the storm and observations from the ground, including our own Director of Forecasting, Kevin Wallis, who’s still on Oahu following the Volcom Pipe Pro: View: Live Pipe Cam “It was a pretty wild weekend on the North Shore and Sunday was the most alive I’ve ever seen the ocean in person,” Wallis said. (Worth noting: Wallis has been looking at many oceans for a very long time.) “Walking out to check the surf at Sunset Point Sunday afternoon I was driven back by 30- to 35-knot wind, with gusts that were likely in excess of 40 knots. Lines of whitewater stretched to the horizon and it appeared that the entire North Shore was one giant closeout.” A storm this strong and this close to Hawaii is a rarity — and the giant surf that eventuated was due to a couple factors. First and foremost was the storm’s close proximity. Even a relatively modest strength storm can create large surf when it’s close to you, as the seas/swell will decay very little in that short travel distance. However, this storm was quite intense with satellite-verified wind of 35-45 knots over a moderate size area, with a smaller area of wind to 50 knots or greater. Watch this mesmerizing IR loop of the last 36 hours over the Pacific of the developing #Kona low near #Hawaii. In addition to major wind & surf for Hawaii, the system is pulling tropical moisture downstream. This developing #AR is fcast to landfall in the US later this week. pic.twitter.com/Cpj5mPWyhW — Philippe Papin (@pppapin) February 11, 2019 Second, this storm moved almost directly toward the west end of the island chain — especially Kauai — setting up a captured fetch in the process. A captured fetch is when the strongest wind in a storm remains over the strongest developing seas, usually for a period of 24 hours or more. In these situations, one tends to see a very large and very consistent swell develop — and this swell lived up to that expectation. There were some mind-blowing numbers on the buoys: The 51101 buoy topped out at over 35 feet which, after a bit of research, is the second largest reading of all time (November 5th, 1988 tops the list at 40 feet). Hanalei, Kauai and Waimea Bay, Oahu both saw the largest significant wave height readings of all time, 38 feet and 29 feet, respectively. Watch: Waimea Bay Cam Live One other interesting observation was the gradient, or change, in surf height from one island to the next, which was also a function of the storm’s location and track. The largest significant wave height was recorded on the Hanalei buoy off Kauai, which makes sense as the storm fetch was best directed at the Garden Isle. The Waimea Bay buoy on Oahu was about 25% smaller than the Hanalei buoy and Pauwela buoy off North Maui was roughly half the size of Kauai.<doc-sep>Scottish singer Rod Stewart takes his seat for the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Celtic and Anderlecht at Celtic Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on December 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Andy BUCHANAN (Photo credit should read ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP/Getty Images) Bei Bei is on his way... in his own panda jet Kiyoshi Kimura (R), President of Kiyomura Corp., the Tokyo-based operator of sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai, displays a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna that fetched 193.2 million yen (1.8 million USD) at his main restaurant in Tokyo on January 5, 2020 after the New Year's auction at Toyosu fish market. EVERETT, WA - JANUARY 25: A Boeing 777X airliner lifts off for its first flight at Paine Field on January 25, 2020 in Everett, Washington. The plane is the latest iteration of its popular wide body model, which feature more fuel efficient engines than its predecessor and composite wings. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue teams rescued a climber Monday who had fallen on Mount Hood. The climber was reported to be in stable condition and was brought down by rescuers to Timberline Lodge late Monday afternoon to a waiting ambulance. The climber, a 16-year-old, sustained a leg injury after falling approximately 500 feet. "The climber fell from the Pearly Gates area of Mt. Hood (just below the final push to the summit) down to the Devil's Kitchen," CCSO said in a statement. The call about the fallen and injured teen came in around 9 a.m., according to CCSO. Due to the elevation, the first rescuers didn't reach the injured climber until approximately 1 p.m. That is when they began administering treatment and put a splint on the injured leg. CCSO said Portland Mountain Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats and AMR assisted in the rescue. This Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, photo shows snow on the ground in Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area in Kula, Hawaii on the island of Maui. A strong storm that hit Hawaii knocked out power, brought down tree branches, flooded coastal roads — and even brought snow. Snow is not unheard of in mountainous parts of the tropical island chain, but officials say the coating at 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) at a state park on Maui could mark the lowest-elevation snowfall ever recorded in the state. (Lance Endo via AP) (CNN) — A winter storm pummeled the Hawaiian islands early Monday, bringing gusty winds, squally rain, high surf and even snow at a state park. Strong winds knocked down trees and branches on roadways and structures and tore down traffic lights and power lines, causing power outages. The winds could potentially damage roofs and poorly built structures, forecasters say. The powerful winds and a high surf closed some roads and parks. Hiro Toiya, director of the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, urged “extra caution driving.” “Conditions are windy and we do have trees and utility poles and other objects falling onto the street,” he said Hawaii Electric Light said that “due to unsafe weather conditions, crews will resume work when safe to do so. Mahalo for your patience.” RT @MauiElectric: 720p #MauiOutage update: Customers in Olinda and Piiholo area as well as parts of Haiku along Kokomo Rd and Kauihikoa Rd should d prepare for an extended outage with the possibility of an overnight outage. https://t.co/gYFlUfp8jS pic.twitter.com/OnIiiq9VeJ #hiwx — NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) February 11, 2019 Snow. In Maui. Instagram post not found. Post has been removed or is no longer public. Officials at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources reported snow falling at the Polipoli State Park in Maui, and snow is forecast in some other areas as well. “For perhaps the first time ever, snow has fallen in a Hawai’i State Park. Polipoli State Park on Maui is blanketed with snow. It could be the lowest elevant snow ever recorded in the state. Polipoli is at 6,200 feet elevation,” the DLNR said. Lance Endo/AP Snow on the ground in Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area in Kula, Hawaii on the island of Maui. Wind advisories in effect CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett said winds will diminish and weather conditions will improve throughout the day as the “low moves northeast of the area.” “A band of enhanced moisture is expected to move through Tuesday night and Wednesday as the trade winds begin to return, increasing shower coverage and intensity once again.” The National Weather Service in Honolulu issued a wind advisory in effect until noon HST (5 p.m. ET). An advisory means that “sustained winds of at least 30 miles per hour or gusts of at least 50 mph are expected. Motorists should use extra caution.” On Sunday, wind speeds were recorded at 25 to 40 miles per hour and there were reports of wind speeds above 50 and 60 mph. Speeds in Port Allen in Kauai County were as high as 67 mph and 191 mph at Mauna Kea Summit in Hawaii County. A high wind warning was in effect for the Big Island summits until 6 p.m. HST (11 p.m. ET) Tuesday. That means winds are expected to be at least 40 mph with gusts over 60 mph in these higher elevations. We know some customers have been without power most of today and into tonight. Extra crews are on the job and more will be called out in the morning. We are working to get your power back on as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience and understanding. #BigIslandOutage — Hawaiian Electric - Hawaii Island (@HIElectricLight) February 11, 2019 Evacuation shelters opened in some areas but falling branches closed the Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said. Beaches and parks are also closed. At the zoo on Sunday, a tree collapsed on an enclosure holding two African ground hornbills. The birds escaped, CNN affiliate KNHL reported, citing city officials. Destructive winds uproot nearly century-old trees in Kapiolani Park https://t.co/AJsuvNGWCd #HNN — Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) February 11, 2019 At Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, strong winds uprooted kiawe trees said to be nearly a century old, according to KNHL. In Oahu’s North Shore on Sunday, coastal flooding occurred because of the “huge storm surf,” KNHL reported. CNN’s Judson Jones, Amanda Watts and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A deadly winter storm battered Hawaii over the weekend, bringing dangerous surf conditions, heavy snow and damaging winds. Waves near Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu surpassed 60 feet Sunday afternoon, meteorologist Gavin Shigesato with the National Weather Service Honolulu forecast office told USA TODAY. Surf heights hit 45 feet on another part of the island, according to observation reports. A 66-year-old California man died Friday after getting stuck in rough ocean conditions off northwest Maui, Hawaii News Now said. A monstrous 191-mph wind gust was recorded on the peak of Mauna Kea on the Big Island Sunday, the weather service said. Winds soared to 53 mph in Oahu, which knocked down trees and caused power outages throughout the islands, Shigesato said. Almost 27,000 customers throughout the state were without power late Sunday, according to Poweroutage.us. Power was mostly restored by early Monday. Several inches of snow fell on Maui. While snow is not unheard of in mountainous parts of the state, mainly on the Big Island volcanoes, officials say the coating at 6,200 feet at a state park on Maui could be the lowest-elevation snowfall ever recorded in the state. Debris on Sunday closed roads in downtown Honolulu and in the Waikiki area, Shigesato said. All state parks were closed Sunday after the County of Hawaii closed beach parks on Saturday night, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim tweeted. The Honolulu Zoo closed before noon Sunday because of falling branches. Two African ground hornbills escaped from their enclosure, local station KITV reported, and officials asked the public not to approach the black birds "bigger than a chicken" with red skin under their beaks. More:Seattle is having its snowiest February in 70 years – and more is on the way More:250 dead, $91 billion in damages: 2018 was a catastrophic year for U.S. weather; 4th-warmest for globe Officials opened two evacuation centers on Oahu Sunday morning and told residents to monitor conditions. The Red Cross opened a shelter in Kauai on Saturday night. Authorities said residents on the islands’ north shores should be prepared for coastal flooding. High wind warnings and high surf warnings remained in effect for portions of the island chain on Monday. But the worst of the storm should be over, the weather service said Monday: The storm "will lift northeastward and away from the state over the next couple of days, resulting in diminishing winds across the island chain," according to the weather service. Contributing: The Associated Press