Freaky Forecast: Snow and Hail hit HI

by Kris   ⋅   March 30, 2006   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Here in the Bay Area we were recently “treated” to some unconventional hail and frost and ice and with it, slippery car accidents and many many cellphone photos. But what if I told you that just last week the same thing happened in an even more unconventional area: Hawai’i! Yes, it happened on the Big Island, home to the tallest mountain in the world (taking into account below sea level dimensions) where it is not uncommon to see snowcaps on the mountain. But that is ON THE MOUNTAIN. The snow and hail I’m talking about occured mostly on residents’ patios and lawns. Here’s a little more info from the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper:

March 25th, 2006

CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii » Resident Linda Bong described the “fabulous” scene that followed the brief hailstorm that blanketed parts of South Kona with pea-size pieces of ice yesterday morning.

“It looked like diamonds everywhere,” she said.

But it made her nervous while it was happening, with strong winds blowing the ice particles nearly horizontally, shooting them across her lanai and embedding them in the screens on her windows.

Hail was reported yesterday in several Big Island communities.

A mile from Captain Cook, in Kealakekua, hailstones the size of quarters were reported, according to the National Weather Service.

The hail was a product of a strong thunderstorm cell that formed over the Big Island, said Brad Fujii, Weather Service forecaster.

Bong’s neighbor Nelson Stringer said the hail came down so hard, moments after rain, that it overflowed his gutters and gathered in piles at the base of downspouts.

There was white all over the lawn, and some of the piles of ice had not yet melted six hours later, he said.

The unusual event was preceded Thursday night by a thunder and lightning storm out to sea in the direction of Maui, Bong said. “Everybody watched the light show all night,” she said.

Although they did not know it at the time, that was the area where a small tornado touched down on Lanai at about 9:35 p.m., causing limited damage.

By daybreak, Kona weather seemed normal, but at about 9:30 a.m. a sudden dark cloud formed. Residents found themselves in a swirling fog, and winds pushed rain and hail nearly horizontal, Stringer said.

“In 20 minutes the whole thing was over,” Bong noted.

Yesterday at about 4:25 p.m., a replay happened on the other side of the island in Puna. The National Weather Service said hailstones the size of nickels fell near Mountain View, south of Hilo. [ MORE ... ]