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'Next Level' Winter Storm Hits Hawaii With Snow, Huge Waves And Beyond Hurricane Strength Winds

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It's an unusual sight to say the least.  An intense weather system brought snow to the Hawaiian island of Maui Sunday.

A ranger at Polipoli state park in the mountainous portion of the island reported drifts of up to four feet, according to KHON-TV. Snow was seen at an elevation of 6,200 feet, which some say could be the lowest the fluffy stuff has ever been reported on the island.

While the snow was a curiosity, a mass of cold air and moisture known as a "Kona Low" also generated wind gusts that reached 191 miles per hour on the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, forcing evacuations of the various observatories on top of the volcano.

"Kona lows are most common during the late fall, winter and spring and are associated with a southward plunge of cold air over the central Pacific Ocean," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Maggie Samuhel.

The winds exceeded the speed threshold that would normally constitute a category 5 hurricane. It's not yet clear what damage the winds may have done to the observatory facilities as the gusts also created dangerous black ice on the mountain road leading to the top of the peak. Workers are just now returning to check on the facilities there.

Gusts of 40 to 60 miles per hour were reported elsewhere throughout the Hawaiian islands, knocking over trees, blocking roads and downing power lines. Waves were whipped up to 60 feet in height and one man reportedly died in the rough seas on Friday.

On Oahu's north shore, lifeguard Bryan Phillips told Hawaii News Now the waves he saw were “on another level.”

“Super, super dangerous," he said. “It’s a weather event and a wave event that some people have never seen in their lifetimes.”

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