Potent storm slams Hawaii with 191-mph winds, 60-foot waves and rare snow on Maui
A deadly winter storm battered Hawaii over the weekend, bringing dangerous surf conditions, heavy snow and damaging winds.
Waves near Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu surpassed 60 feet Sunday afternoon, meteorologist Gavin Shigesato with the National Weather Service Honolulu forecast office told USA TODAY.
Surf heights hit 45 feet on another part of the island, according to observation reports. A 66-year-old California man died Friday after getting stuck in rough ocean conditions off northwest Maui, Hawaii News Now said.
A monstrous 191-mph wind gust was recorded on the peak of Mauna Kea on the Big Island Sunday, the weather service said.
Winds soared to 53 mph in Oahu, which knocked down trees and caused power outages throughout the islands, Shigesato said. Almost 27,000 customers throughout the state were without power late Sunday, according to Poweroutage.us. Power was mostly restored by early Monday.
Several inches of snow fell on Maui. While snow is not unheard of in mountainous parts of the state, mainly on the Big Island volcanoes, officials say the coating at 6,200 feet at a state park on Maui could be the lowest-elevation snowfall ever recorded in the state.
Debris on Sunday closed roads in downtown Honolulu and in the Waikiki area, Shigesato said.
All state parks were closed Sunday after the County of Hawaii closed beach parks on Saturday night, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim tweeted.
The Honolulu Zoo closed before noon Sunday because of falling branches. Two African ground hornbills escaped from their enclosure, local station KITV reported, and officials asked the public not to approach the black birds "bigger than a chicken" with red skin under their beaks.
More:Seattle is having its snowiest February in 70 years – and more is on the way
Officials opened two evacuation centers on Oahu Sunday morning and told residents to monitor conditions. The Red Cross opened a shelter in Kauai on Saturday night. Authorities said residents on the islands’ north shores should be prepared for coastal flooding.
High wind warnings and high surf warnings remained in effect for portions of the island chain on Monday.
But the worst of the storm should be over, the weather service said Monday: The storm "will lift northeastward and away from the state over the next couple of days, resulting in diminishing winds across the island chain," according to the weather service.
Contributing: The Associated Press