Snow way! Strong storm brings 191mph winds, power outages and flooding to HAWAII with flakes falling for the first time in a state park

Storm has brought flooding, power outages and snowfall to state of Hawaii - a 66-year old California man died in the rough surf off northwest Maui on Friday

Snow at 6,200ft on Maui could mark lowest-elevation snowfall ever in the state

The storm's most extreme blow was generated on the Big Island's towering peak of Mauna Kea where a 191mph wind gust blasted the mountain summit at 4.40pm local time Sunday

A strong storm hitting Hawaii has knocked out power, brought down tree branches, flooded coastal roads - and even brought snow.

While snow is not unheard of in Hawaii, officials said the blanket at Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area on the island of Maui is likely the first for any state park.

Polipoli is located at an altitude of 6,200 feet and the snow is possibly the lowest elevation sprinkling ever recorded in the state.

'[P]erhaps [for] the first time ever, snow has fallen in a Hawaii State Park,' Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) posted to its Facebook page Sunday. 'Polipoli State Park on Maui is blanketed with snow. It could also be the lowest elevation snow ever recorded in the state.'

The storm, which the National Weather Service office in Honolulu described as 'historic,' first began pounding the islands Friday. Hawaii News Now reported a 66-year old California man died in the rough surf off northwest Maui on Friday.

(Forecasters) are calling this an unprecedented event and we concur that we rarely if ever have seen the combination of record high on-shore waves, coupled with gale force winds,' said Sam Lemmo, administrator of DLNR.

When Lance Endo's friend camping at a state park on Maui texted him early Sunday that there was snow he jumped in his truck and drove more than hour to see it.

'I just wanted to go play in the snow,' Endo said.

Endo headed back down from the park on the slopes of Haleakala, where the weather service says there were snow drifts of about 4 feet, to bring his two children up to the park.

Endo said he wanted his kids to 'see something that's very unusual in Hawaii.'

The snow has been brought to Hawaii by a chunk of cold, low-pressure air separated from the main flow, known as a Kona Low.

The storm's most extreme blow was generated on the Big Island's towering peak of Mauna Kea where a 191mph wind gust blasted the mountain summit at 4.40pm local time Sunday.

'That's the strongest wind gust I've ever seen up there,' said Jon Jelsema, senior forecaster at the Weather Service office in Honolulu. 'We tend to get a gust maybe to 150mph once a winter or so, but never 191mph.'

The visitor station on the 13,308 foot mountain is closed until Tuesday 'due to the predicted continuation of severe weather,' according to the station's website. The road is shut down whenever visibility drops below 50 feet, or winds gust to 65 mph or greater.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6690775/Strong-storm-brings-damage-snow-Hawaii.html