A massive winter storm hit Hawaii over the weekend leaving downed trees, extensive flooding and over a foot of fresh snow in high elevations in its wake. The weather system temporarily stalled over the Hawaiian Islands and combined with an area of low pressure generating huge precipitation and nearly hurricane force wind. Rainfall totals exceeded 30 inches at Laupahoehoe on the Big Island.
University of Hawaii and all public schools were closed on Monday. Most have reopened following the improvement of weather conditions statewide but 4 West Maui schools remained closed Tuesday.
Deep snow was recorded at high elevations in the mountains in Hawaii where mountain peaks crest above 13,000 feet. The summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa got buried in snow and access roads were closed to all travelers (explore live webcams here).
While we haven’t found any footage of skiers taking advantage of the recent storm, surely folks with their gear will get out and shred as soon as higher elevation roads become passable once again. Here’s a quick video of tropical skiing on Mauna Kea.
