Who said Darren can't enjoy winter conditions?

[MichaelJ]

From the NWS Hawaii Office:

Urgent - Winter Weather Message
National Weather Service Honolulu Hi
947 Pm Hst Wed Dec 5 2007

Hiz028-061600-
/o.con.phfo.bz.w.0001.000000t0000z-071206t1600z/
Big Island Summits-
Including The City Of...mauna Loa And Mauna Kea Above 8000 Feet
947 Pm Hst Wed Dec 5 2007

...blizzard Warning Remains In Effect Until 6 Am Hst Thursday...

Lines Of Convective Showers Are Still Expected To Affect The Summit Area Through Early Thursday Morning...bringing Heavy Snow Showers At Times. Strong Winds With Gusts Over 60 Mph Have Been Reported Over The Summits This Evening And Will Continue Through Early Thursday Morning. The Combination Of These Weather Phenomenon Will Produce Near Zero Visibility In Blowing Snow...making Travel Extremely Treacherous.

Snow Accumulations Of 6 Inches Or More Are Possible...along With Significant Drifting Snow. Temperatures Will Fall Into The 20s... With Wind Chills As Low As 5 To 10 Above Overnight.

Travel To The Summits Is Strongly Not Recommended For The Rest Of Tonight Through Thursday Morning.

A Blizzard Warning Means That Blizzard Conditions Are Imminent Or Occurring.

 

[sardog1]

Talk about your upslope effects! That's hilarious. He's probably one of a half-dozen people on the Islands with the requisite experience. Can't wait to hear his reaction.

 

[darren]

Darn....I left my snow shoes and crampons back East....otherwise I would head back to Mauna Kea to check it out.

The weather has been nuts here. We have been getting "Kona winds" for a week. The normal tradewinds are out of the Northeast. Winds from the south are called Kona winds. In the summer they bring in humidity and make things hot. In the winter they blow in moisture and significant rain.

It has been raining big time all week. On Tuesday night we had a serious winter Kona front blow through. Wind gusts up to 70mph did some serious damage on the island. Trees down and telephone poles snapped all over the place. There are still big areas with no power. The heavy rains have caused land slides and some flooding.

The strong wind gusts woke me up tuesday night and at about 3AM I had to go outside to tie down my outrigger canoe. I was alone in the pitch dark out on my floating dock trying to tie down my canoe. The dock was really getting tossed around - it was pretty wild.

I imagine the blizzard warnings on the Big Island are for real.

I feel bad for anyone that is on vacation out here this week. It has been just terrible.

Aloha

- darren

 

[DougPaul]

Talk about your upslope effects! That's hilarious. He's probably one of a half-dozen people on the Islands with the requisite experience. Can't wait to hear his reaction.

Others do it too. For instance: http://www.skimountaineer.com/ROF/ROF.php?name=MaunaLoa

A search brings up a number of reports: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ski+mauna+loa&btnG=Google+Search

Doug

 

[darren]

Web cams from Mauna Kea:

http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/weather/webcams.php

Right now the views kinda look like what you would expect from the MWO.

-darren

 

[skiguy]

ya Man skiing and surfing in the same day! Send some of those Kona winds up here dude !

 

[darren]

Lost hiker

Bummer.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Dec/07/br/br4726819305.html

The bad weather is supposed to last through the weekend so help might not come too soon.

- darren

 

[SherpaKroto]

Quit Whining!

Hawaii: 12-0, headed to the Sugar Bowl
Pats: 13-0, headed to the Super Bowl