Rain won’t go away yet; More snow expected on summits
This webcamera image taken Wednesday morning shows cloudy conditions and snow on the ground at the summit of Mauna Kea.
Weather systems moving over the state are bringing rain and the threat of thunderstorms Wednesday.
This webcamera image from the W.M. Keck Observatory shows cloudy and snowy conditions at the summit of Mauna Kea.
Rainy weather with the threat of thunderstorms continues Wednesday, with up to 8 more inches of snow possible on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
The Big Island summits remain under a blizzard warning and Maui County and the Big Island are under a flash flood watch until 6 a.m. Thursday.
Rains set a new record on Maui Tuesday. Kahului Airport recorded 2.14 inches, beating the old record for the date of 1.91 inches set in 1982.
Kauai got the most rain on Tuesday with nearly 13.5 inches falling in Kilohana and more than 10 inches in Waiakoali in the 24 hour period ending at 5 a.m.
More than 2 inches fell on Luluku on Oahu and the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Reserve in the northern Koolau mountains recorded 1.9 inches. Puu Alii on Molokai saw nearly 11.3 inches and Puu Kukui on Maui got 3.2 inches. On the Big Island, the Pali 2 gauge recorded 2.9 inches, while Pahoa saw 2.1 inches.
The National Weather Service said unstable conditions are expected to continue through Christmas Eve, but the weather should slowly improve on Christmas Day.
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The road to Mauna Kea remained closed Wednesday morning.
Forecasters expect "very strong winds and bitterly cold wind chills" at the summit, with "heavy snow, blowing and drifting snow and possible lightning strikes. Winds of 40 to 55 mph with gusts over 80 mph possible.
The forecast for Honolulu and south shores of Oahu calls for partly sunny skies with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs should be in the mid- to upper-70s and lows Wednesday night are in the 60s. There’s a 30 to 50 percent chance of rain on Christmas Eve.
Thursday’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies during the day and mostly cloudy conditions on Christmas night with a 30 percent chance of rain through Friday. Tradewinds of 10 to 15 mph could gust to 30 mph during the day.
A high surf advisory for the north-facing shores of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Kauai and Niihau remains in effect through 6 p.m. Thursday.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service expect surf up to 10 to 15 feet with some east-facing shores on the smaller islands possibly getting elevated surf.
