PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Escalation In Mosquito-Borne Diseases Continue - Hawaii's Governor David Ige Declares STATE OF EMERGENCY To Fight Zika Virus And Dengue Fever Outbreak!

© Jim Gathany / Reuters

February 13, 2016 - HAWAII - Hawaii has declared a state of emergency in a move to fight and prevent mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus, which the state’s governor called a threat to public health and welfare.

“We are doing everything we can to be prepared, to be proactive, to prevent vector-borne diseases here in Hawaii,” Gov. David Ige said in a proclamation he signed Friday.

So far, Hawaii has not seen cases of the Zika virus transmission, but it is on standby following a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to put emergency centers on a Level 1 alert last week.

But there is an ongoing outbreak of dengue fever at Big Island, where there were more than 250 confirmed cases. One of the major concerns now is that mosquitoes that can carry dengue fever also can carry the Zika virus, which potentially puts the island at risk.

There are also flights between American Samoa, one of the Pacific islands affected by a Zika outbreak, and Hawaii.

Tourists and locals watch the sunset from White Sands Beach Park in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, January 31, 2016. © Canice Leung / Reuters

“Hawaii Emergency Management Agency will be working with all the county mayors and the county civil defense coordinators to ensure that statewide we are ahead of the game and proactive in responding to vector-borne diseases,” the governor said.

The emergency proclamation means that Hawaii will have access to the Major Disaster Fund, granting it an option to acquire more funds to control outbreaks and waive certain laws and regulations if necessary.

"One of the things that this emergency declaration from the governor will allow us to do is that we can in fact enforce that we will come and take care of mosquitoes on a property that someone is refusing, because it is a public health emergency,” Virginia Pressler, director of the Department of Health said, AP reported.

In particular the authorities would be able to use insecticides on private property, regardless of an owner’s objection.

According to Pressler, understaffed due to financial problems, the state’s health regulator is now searching to hire more medical workers and scientists with the newly released funds from the governor.

Gov. Ige has said the state will begin to survey the community to verify the particular mosquito species and determine their locations. Then it will work out and implement plans for their “management, eradication and treatment,” he said. - Hawaii.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Dengue Fever Outbreak On Hawaii's Big Island - State Of Emergency Declared!

February 9, 2016 - BIG ISLAND, HAWAII - The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island declared a state of emergency on Monday to deal with a growing outbreak of dengue fever, spread by infected mosquitoes, with 250 cases confirmed over the past four months.

As a result of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi's order people on the Big Island will be allowed to resume disposing of old tires in landfills, since tires which are left lying around are a known breeding spot for mosquitoes.

There have been 250 confirmed cases of dengue fever on the island since Oct. 29, making it the largest outbreak in the state since the 1940s, according to the mayor's declaration and Hawaii health officials.

Dengue fever causes flu-like symptoms and can develop into the deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Hawaii Governor David Ige said in a statement he supported the efforts on the Big Island but would not issue a statewide emergency declaration unless the outbreak spread to other islands or expanded to include other diseases, such as the Zika virus.

Zika is spreading rapidly in South and Central America and the Caribbean and has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil.


WATCH: Dengue Fever Press Conference.

Last month, a baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was apparently the first case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in a birth on U.S. soil, health officials said.

Dengue is not endemic to Hawaii but has occasionally spread after being imported by infected travelers. The outbreak on the Big Island is the first cluster of locally-acquired dengue fever since a 2011 outbreak on Oahu, the Hawaii Department of Health said. - Yahoo.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Eyewitness Descriptions Suggest Collision Of Two Helicopters Off Hawaii Were Taken Out By METEOR EXPLOSION - 12 Marines Were Killed?!

January 27, 2016 - HAWAII - All four life rafts from the two choppers that collided off Oahu's North Shore have been recovered, but rescuers have yet to find any sign of survivors. The search for the 12 Marines on board the two helicopters continued into its fifth day Tuesday, with Marines combing North Shore beaches for debris, while multiple county, state and federal agencies search for survivors by air and sea.

Navy divers have also been dispatched, and are using sonar technology around the last known position of the two choppers about two miles off Haleiwa. So far, they haven't seen any debris. The two Marine Corps choppers collided during a routine training mission about 10:40 p.m. Thursday, setting off a massive ocean search-and-rescue effort during one of the biggest swells of the winter season. Low visibility also hampered search efforts.

Ocean conditions are favorable for searching Tuesday, but surf is expected to start rising again Wednesday. The Coast Guard says there has been no indication that anyone was ever on the life rafts that were recovered. Still, the Coast Guard said Sunday that it remains hopeful survivors will be found, and in a statement Monday, Coast Guard officials said their goal is to ensure with "absolute certainty we've thoroughly canvassed every location we might find them."

On Saturday, the Coast Guard said it had found debris from the two helicopters in waters off Oahu.

US Marines and police discuss search and rescue options after two military choppers go down off Hawaii© HNN

High surf has scattered debris across a wide swath of waters off Oahu, from Kahuku to Waianae. "The debris that's been located is consistent with the aircraft of this type," said Coast Guard Lt. Scott Carr. "I know a lot of people are focused on the debris, but we're really focused on hopefully finding survivors." Both of the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters had six Marines aboard when they crashed. Authorities said they did not get a distress call from either helicopter. Witnesses said the collision produced a fireball that lit up the night sky.

"It was like daytime," said Chase Tantog, 21, who was fishing at Chun's Reef when he saw what he thought was a meteor falling from the sky. "It was just a big fireball coming down," he said. "There was debris, too, on the side, like coming off. Once it hit the water, it just blacked out and then you hear the thunder roar after. It was really loud."

Witnesses recount collision

Residents up and down the North Shore saw -- or heard -- the collision Thursday night. Don Williams said the collision produced "two big booms. It shook the house," he said. "I couldn't figure out what it was."


WATCH: 12 missing after Marine choppers collide off Oahu.

Tantog, who was fishing at Chun's Reef, said the fireball in the night sky was so big "I thought the world was going to end." One woman said she was at Haleiwa Harbor on Thursday night when she saw what she thought was a flare. "I didn't see it shoot up, I saw when something was coming down." - Hawaii News Now.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Two Military Helicopter Collides Off Hawaii Coast - At Least 12 Marine Corps Feared Dead!

© Hugh Gentry / Reuters

January 17, 2016 - HAWAII, UNITED STATES - The US Coast Guard is carrying out a search and rescue operation after two Marine Corps transport helicopters collided in mid-air and crashed in the waters north of the island of Oahu.

"The aircraft are from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii," the US Marine Corps said in a statement.

The helicopters were reportedly on a night-time training mission.

Rescuers arrived to the scene just after midnight local time, after multiple reports of the crash some 2.5 miles northwest of the coastal settlement of Haleiwa. They found debris, an empty life raft and fire on the water.

No survivors or bodies have been located so far.

“The Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue operations,” USMC spokesman Major Christian Devine said in a statement.

The Marine Corps can confirm there is an active search and rescue for 2 CH-53's of the coast of Oahu.
Twitter: U.S. Marines

By mid-day Friday, US Navy destroyers Gridley and John Paul Jones joined the Coast Guard cutter Kiska in search and rescue efforts, assisted by a MH-64 Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, officials said. A Coast Guard C-130J taking part in the search had to return to base after it was struck by a bird, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr told the Marine Corps Times.

The USMC has asked the public not to touch any debris that might wash ashore and respect the cordons set up by police and firefighters.

© Google maps

The two helicopters were stationed at the USMC facility at Kaneohe Bay, and each had six people on board, according to Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers of the Coast Guard.

The search and rescue operation could be hampered by waves forecast to reach up to 40 feet (12 meters) high - predicted to be the largest swells of this year's season.

According to the USMC, the 463rd squadron flies Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, which entered service in the 1980s. - RT.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Pair Of Earthquakes Shake Hawaii's Big Island! [MAPS]

A 4.5 magnitude quake struck west of Pahla at 2:18 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2015.
USGS earthquake location

May 9, 2015 - HAWAII -  A pair of temblors rocked the Big Island early Saturday morning.

At 2:17 a.m. a 3.1 magnitude quake struck the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park area while a second quake of 4.5 magnitude shook a minute later at 2:18 a.m. west of Pahala.

A 3.1 magnitude quake struck in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park area at 2:17 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2015.
USGS earthquake location

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the 4.5 magnitude quake struck was centered about 5 miles north of the small town of Naalehu at a depth of 6 miles.

USGS shakemap intensity

There were no reports of damage or injury. People around the island reported light shaking.

The observatory says light shaking isn't expected to damage buildings.

Small aftershocks under magnitude-2 were recorded in the hours after. - Hawaii 24/7 | AP.

PLANETARY TREMORS: 4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Hawaii Island - No Tsunami Warning!

This map from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows the location of a magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck early Sunday morning off Hawaii island.
The earthquake did not generate a tsunami.   PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER

April 6, 2015 - UNITED STATES - A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Hawaii island early Sunday morning, but no tsunami was generated and there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or damage.

The earthquake struck at 3:23 a.m. about 7 miles west of Kalaoa and 10 miles northwest of Kailua-Kona at a depth of 6.2 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Only light shaking was reported and the earthquake caused no detectable changes to the volcanoes on Hawaii island, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.

USGS shakemap intensity

The earthquake was widely felt on the Big Island. The USGS "Did You Feel It?" website received more than 150 felt reports, including 3 people who said they felt it on Oahu at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and in Aiea.

During the past 30 years, geologists recorded 23 earthquakes, including Sunday's temblor, in the same area offshore of Keahole Point with magnitudes greater than 3.0 and depths of 3 to 9 miles.

The volcano observatory said earthquakes at this depth off the west coast of the Big Island are typically caused by abrupt motion on the boundary between the old ocean floor and the volcanic material of the island and are usually not directly related to volcanic activity.

As of 7 a.m., no aftershocks of the earthquake were reported, volcano scientists said.

An unrelated earthquake, estimated at magnitude 3.3, struck at 12:16 a.m. It was centered 11 miles south of Kapaau and 36 miles north-northeast of Kailua-Kona at a depth of about 16 miles. - Star Advertiser.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: "We May Have Had Three Active Volcanoes In The Oahu Region" - New Underwater Volcano Discovered In Hawaii! [PHOTOS]

May 21, 2014 - HAWAII - The sprawling chain of Hawaiian volcanoes just added another underwater branch.

A newly-discovered volcano, named Ka'ena, erupted 5 million years ago in the deep waters south of Kauai. It was the
first of three volcanoes that would form the island of Oahu. Researchers recently showed that Ka'ena was
a separate volcano, distinct from its neighbor, Wai'anae volcano. 

The discovery means Oahu once towered above the ocean with three volcanic peaks, the researchers said. Until now, scientists thought Oahu was built by two volcanoes — Wai'anae on the west and Ko'olau on the east.

"I think we may very well have had three active volcanoes in the Oahu region," said lead study author John Sinton, a geologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The new volcano, named Ka'ena, was born in the deep underwater channel south of Kauai about 5 million years ago, according to the study, published May 2 in the Geological Society of America Bulletin. Sometime later, Wai'anae rose on Ka'ena's flanks and therefore breached the sea first, breaking through the waves 3.9 million years ago. The researchers think Ko'olau surfaced after that, about 3 million years ago. 

The blocky texture of these a'a lavas only forms in air, a clue that Ka'ena volcano once poked
above the ocean surface 3 million years ago.

Researchers snapped images of local marine life while searching for signs of past eruptions.

Ka'ena volcano is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) high, but only reached about 3,000 feet above sea level, Sinton said. As Oahu's first-born, Ka'ena is the shortest of the three volcanoes because it had to grow farthest from the seafloor to the ocean surface.

But the researchers know Ka'ena was once an island peak, because the underwater mountain is capped by lavas with textures that only form in air. With a remotely operated vehicle, the researchers also spied a sandy beach strewn with shark teeth.

Rock samples collected with a remotely operated vehicle helped prove Ka'ena volcano is older and
chemical distinct from its neighbors.

Sheets of hyaloclastite, a glassy lava that forms where molten rock meets the sea.

Oahu's volcanoes died out about 2 million years ago, and like all of Hawaii's islands, their massive bulk is slowly sinking, hiding Ka'ena beneath the sea.

Disappearing islands

The weight of the Hawaiian volcanoes has pressed down the Earth's crust. The flexing resembles a person standing on a trampoline, causing the springy surface to sag.

"The first ones, because they form in deep water, they kind of escape notice," Sinton said. "We like to think we know how many Hawaiian volcanoes there are, but what we know about what's underwater is a huge area of ignorance," he told Live Science's Our Amazing Planet. - Discovery News

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Slip-Sliding Away - Disassembling Hawaiian Volcanoes, When The Islands Collapse And Fall Apart In Landslides!

January 28, 2014 - HAWAII -In our January Volcano Watch articles — Hawaii Island’s fifth annual Volcano Awareness Month — we are exploring important questions about how Hawaiian volcanoes work. Last week, we discussed how Hawaiian islands grow; this week, we talk about how they fall apart.

Black dashed lines delineate 17 distinct landslides that have occurred around the Hawaiian Islands over the last
several million years. The largest slides originated from the north sides of Oahu and Molokai. Colors ranging
from pink to purple indicate the water depth around the islands, while shades of gray show land topography
above sea level. Red areas on the Island of Hawaii indicate lava flows erupted within the past 200 years.

In 1964, irregular submarine topography north of Oahu and Molokai was identified in newly available maps of the sea floor made by the U.S. Navy. James Moore, then Scientist-in-Charge at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, suggested that this odd bathymetry might reflect massive landslides originating from those islands.

Moore’s interpretation was disputed for more than 20 years until comprehensive mapping of the sea floor around the entire state of Hawaii was completed in the late 1980s. It turned out that Moore was right. Large — even catastrophic — submarine landslide structures litter the sea floor around the Hawaiian Islands. In fact, 17 major landslides have been identified off the shores of the main Hawaiian Islands. Fortunately, these slides are exceedingly rare — occurring, on average, only once every 350,000 years.

The largest landslides constitute significant portions of the islands from which they originated. Imagine if 10 percent of one of the islands suddenly collapsed into the ocean. Such an event would displace a huge amount of water and cause a large tsunami. Deposits of coral and sand have been found approximately 1,000 feet above sea level on several of the Hawaiian Islands. Catastrophic landslides are believed to have generated gigantic tsunami waves that washed ashore and left these deposits behind.

Evidence across the Hawaiian Islands suggests that landslides occur during all stages of a volcano’s life. The submarine volcano Loihi — the youngest in the Hawaiian chain, located southeast of Hawaii Island — is characterized by a number of small landslides, even though the volcano hasn’t yet breached the surface of the ocean. On the other hand, large landslides from Oahu and Molokai clearly occurred well after the islands were established above sea level.

We also know that not all landslides in Hawaii are catastrophic. The south flank of Kilauea is sliding continuously into the ocean at a rate of about 3 inches a year. This motion is punctuated by large, devastating earthquakes that can cause tens of feet of seaward motion in just a few seconds — as when the magnitude 7.7 temblor struck Hawaii Island in 1975 — as well as “slow earthquakes” that are associated with a few inches of seaward motion over the course of one to two days.

Will Kilauea’s south flank ever collapse suddenly? Since the shape of the south flank indicates that the slide has been active for thousands of years, there is no reason to expect that its behavior will change any time soon. Although most evidence suggests that it will continue to sag gradually, this question remains open to interpretation.

What, then, causes large landslides in Hawaii? Models suggest that magma pressure alone is not adequate to produce a massive landslide. One can imagine a scenario, however, in which a large eruption weakens an already unstable volcano, allowing gravity to pull the volcano apart.

Future scientific research must focus on the mechanism for giant landslides in Hawaii, which represent a major, infrequent hazard. Since other volcanic islands — such as the Canaries and the Azores — are also subject to catastrophic collapse, lessons learned from the Hawaii example might be fruitfully applied to mitigating hazards for the benefit of citizens elsewhere around the world.

Next week, our annual Volcano Awareness Month Volcano Watch series will conclude with an examination of questions related to volcano monitoring.

Until then, you’re invited to attend a talk about Kilauea Volcano’s gas emissions and vog Tuesday in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Details are posted at hvo.wr.usgs.gov. You can also email askHVO@usgs.gov or call 967-8844 for more information.

Kilauea activity update

A lava lake within Halemaumau produced nighttime glow visible via HVO’s webcam during the past week. After nearly a month without deflation-inflation cycles at Kilauea’s summit, a large DI event started late on Jan. 17. In response to the deflation, the lava lake level dropped from about 148 feet to about 230 feet below the rim of the overlook vent. DI inflation started Jan. 22 and was continuing as of Thursday.

On Kilauea’s east rift zone, the Kahaualea 2 flow continued to advance slowly into the forest northeast of Puu Oo, and satellite imagery showed the tip of the flow to have reached 4.8 miles northeast of Puu Oo by Wednesday. Activity, however, waned as the DI event progressed, probably causing the most distant parts of the flow to stagnate. Webcam imagery suggests that flow activity is now waxing, with the active front slightly closer to Puu Oo.

There were no earthquakes reported felt on Hawaii Island in the past week. - West Hawaii Today.

GLOBAL COASTAL EVENT: 50-Foot Monster Waves Crash Into Hawaii's Beaches - Largest Wave Event In 10 Years For The Region! [PHOTOS]

January 23, 2014 - HAWAII - A low-pressure system is arriving over Hawaii, creating some of the biggest waves in a decade and attracting surfers from all over the world.

A satellite image of a low pressure system north of Hawaii that may produce 40-50 foot waves in Oahu this week.
This will likely be the largest wave event in 10 years for Hawaii. (NOAA)

According to HawaiiNewsNow.com, waves reaching as high as 40 and 50 feet continue to pound North Shore beaches Thursday. The National Weather Service says this will likely be the largest surf event of the season so far, and perhaps the largest in 10 years.

“The huge waves are the result of a potent area of low pressure passing well north of Hawaii that has been producing hurricane-force winds,” said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.

The waves reached their peak Wednesday, but the danger will remain throughout the week. A high surf warning is in effect until 6 a.m. Friday.

A National Weather Service forecast discussion had a strongly-worded warning for residents as they gear up for the monster waves: "Anyone approaching the shoreline could face significant injury or death. Significant coastal inundation and property damage is possible. Road closures are likely and breaking waves may make it impossible to enter or leave harbors."

Residents living close to the coast braced for a few rounds of unusually high tides by putting sand bags out in front of their homes, according to a Hawaii News Now article.

"We will sandbag our laundry area and the beach key access area where we do have some electronic rooms and stuff on the lower level that we don't want to get damaged, you know, elevator rooms and stuff like that," said Greg Roe, manager of a residential complex that sits close to the beach, in an interview with Hawaii News Now.

Rough surf led to the closure of several beach parking lots in areas deemed unsafe for swimmers and surfers, according to NBCNews.com. Still, the report mentioned, some residents took to the beaches to get a closer look at the huge swells.

A surf contest in Oahu that was scheduled for Wednesday has been called off due to the conditions, according to a Reuters report. Despite the wave heights reaching rarely-seen levels, wind conditions wouldn't allow for competition.

Organizers told Reuters they hope to hold the event, known as the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitational, later this winter, as this is the time of year when waves are traditionally largest. - TWC.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: More Sinkholes Keep Popping Up Across The United States - Truck Swallowed Up By Giant Sinkhole On Hawaii Road With Woman Driver Still In It!

January 02, 2014 - HAWAII - Relentless rains pounding Hawaii’s ‘Big Island’ led to a truck being swallowed Monday in a sinkhole.

Swallowed whole: Velma Deluz's pickup truck was swallowed by this sinkhole,
but she escaped without any serious injuries.

Velma Deluz was driving to work around 5:30am when the road opened up and swallowed her truck whole – she fortunately escaped without any serious injury. The island received almost half a foot of rain from the storm.

Officials told local media the freak accident likely happened because the culvert the section of road was paved over likely shifted, causing the road to collapse.

Ms Deluz told KHNL about her terrifying plunge.

‘When I made the turn, the road just sucked me right in,’ she told the station. ‘I fell in and I tried to climb out the window because [the truck] fell on its side.’

The lucky woman climbed up out of the sinkhole and to safety before another car drove by, she said she suffered only minor rib injuries and is thankful to be alive.

Hawaii County Civil Defense spokesperson Darryl Oliveira blamed the collapse on a storm battering the island for most of Monday.


WATCH: Storm clouds over Hawaii.

‘It was spread out from Honoka'a to parts of Puna.  Pretty widespread windward side,’ he told KITV, adding the rains were ‘a big problem because of multiple landslides, a lot of debris, a lot of different areas of runoff.’

He further explained to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that ‘the rain had caused a culvert beneath the street to shift, which then triggered the roadway's collapse.’

Intense: This image from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea shows snow
on the ground Monday afternoon from a storm that passed over the Big Island.

Ms Deluz had the misfortune of driving over the collapsed roadway, but was lucky in her escape.
News footage from around the big island showed extensive flooding, mudslides and debris across roads.

‘It's been a while since we've had such heavy downpour with so much runoff,’ Mr Oliveira told the paper. ‘The ground's been pretty dry for a while. It's been drier than normal and now we're having heavier than normal rainfall.’

More than five-and-a-half inches was recorded Monday at Hilo Airport, almost a full inch more than the previous record set more than 60 years ago. - Daily Mail.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: More Sinkholes Keep Popping Up Across The United States - Van Falls Into Massive Sinkhole In Maunawili, Hawaii As Second Hole Plagues Salt Lake!

November 24, 2013 - HAWAII - A white minivan fell into a sinkhole in Windward Oahu on Thursday night, not long after a separate sinkhole was reported on Ala Lilikoi Street in front of Salt Lake Elementary in Honolulu.

Photographs from the scene showed the rear tire of a minivan stuck inside the road on Aloha Oe Place in Maunawili. Hawaii News Now was told that a water main break may have been to blame for the incident.

Sinkhole reported in Salt Lake.

Sinkhole reported in Maunawili.

Sinkhole reported in Salt Lake.

The van was pulled out of the ground using a tow truck at around 8:45 p.m.

Earlier on Thursday, another sinkhole was reported in the area fronting Salt Lake Elementary, and road repairs may have an impact on traffic in the area as parents seek to drop their children off at school.

Board of Water supply said they had no reports of any outages in the Salt Lake area, and the cause of the sinkhole there remains unknown. - Hawaii News Now.

EXTREME WEATHER: Rare Tropical Storm Flossie Drenching Hawaii - Bringing Power Outages And Flooding To Thousands In The Islands!

July 30, 2013 - HAWAII - Though Flossie weakened Monday evening local time, it still packed a rare punch for Hawaii which has not taken a direct hit from a named storm since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

Rare Flossie Delivers Flooding, Outages To Hawaiian Islands.

The center of Flossie passed Maui on Monday and was just north of Oahu on Tuesday morning, bringing power outages and flooding to many of the Hawaiian Islands.

NOAA's surf forecast warned on Monday that surf along the east-facing shores of Oahu would be the most rough and elevated, hitting 14 to 20 feet Monday afternoon and evening.

"It's dangerous because ahead of a storm, the surf is growing," AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said. "You could start out with waves 4 to 5 feet high, and in just two hours, they could have grown much higher."

Along with the sudden changes in height, waves can also change direction rapidly. High surf will continue along the shores of all the islands through Tuesday evening. This can catch even seasoned surfers off guard, leading to tragic results.

As rain continued to pound the islands on Monday, flooding and road closures were reported on Hawaii, including Route 132 in Puna, located on the Big Island. Local law enforcement reported numerous downed trees and power lines.

On average, four or five tropical cyclones reach the central pacific each year, some of which will bring tropical moisture and heavy rains to the islands, Acting Director for the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Tom Evans said.

"I would say it's rare that we get a direct hit," Evans said. Iniki made landfall as a Category 4 storm.

"It was devastating. There are still places that have not recovered from that," he said.

As Flossie wreaked havoc on the Islands, as many as 9,800 people were without power at one time. Most are now back up and running, Evans confirmed.

Pockets of outages were reported on Hawaii, but Molokai was entirely without power for some time. Outages are still being restored in Maui.

"#Flossie weakening, but it's still a Trop Storm and capable of wind damage, flash flooding and rock/mudslides. Don't let your guard down!" the National Weather Service Honolulu tweeted yesterday, before the storm was downgraded.

The National Weather Service Honolulu office has issued a flash flood watch through early Wednesday for all Hawaiian islands with localized downpours leftover behind Flossie. - AccuWeather.

Flossie Now A Remnant Low.

Flossie, once a tropical storm, is now a "post-tropical remnant low," according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Dry air in the upper levels of the atmosphere and northerly winds aloft created significant shear that weakened Flossie as it neared the Hawaiian Islands on July 29, 2013.

There are still pockets of rain that may be locally heavy over parts of the island chain, including both windward and leeward locations, through Tuesday.

All of Hawaii remains under a flash flood watch and rain could be heavy enough to cause flash flooding, rockslides, and mudslides in higher terrain.

Flossie's remant will also produce an occasional peak gust over 30 mph, particularly over ridge tops, along with lingering high surf along east-facing shores.  Expect strong breaking waves and rip currents, as well.

Overall, Flossie is behaving similar to Hawaii's history of tropical cyclones; namely, the majority weaken to either a tropical depression or minimal tropical storm by the time they reach the islands, with a few notable exceptions.

It's worth noting of 19 named storms that have tracked near the Hawaiian Islands since 1957, prior to 2013's Flossie:

•  Only four remained at hurricane strength within 65 nautical miles, most notably Iniki (1992).
•  Three of those four hurricanes approached the islands from the south or southeast.
•  Only Kanoa (1957) was able to survive as a hurricane pushing due westward at a latitude equal or as far north as the Big Island.  (Though, according to NHC's best track database, it never made it as a hurricane to the Big Island.)
•  The large majority of those named storms had weakened to either a tropical storm, depression or remnant low when approaching the islands from the east, at a latitude at least as far north as the Big Island.

Coincidentally, in 2007, the center of Hurricane Flossie passed just 100 miles south of the Big Island on August 14. However, impacts on land were not severe. Eastern Pacific tropical cyclone names are recycled every six years except for those destructive enough to be retired. - TWC.

Big Island Under Flood Advisory As Rains Move To West Side.

The effects of tropical storm Flossie were seen and felt in Kailua-Kona on Monday.
MICHAEL DARDEN / SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER

A flood advisory remains in effect for Hawaii island at least through 6:15 p.m. as the brunt of Tropical Storm Flossie moved past Hilo and East Hawaii and began pestering Kailua-Kona and West Hawaii with heavy rains and high winds.

The lower Puna and Kau areas appeared to be the most badly hit portions of East Hawaii. The Hawaii Police Department reported fallen trees on Highway 132, the Pahoa-Kapoho Highway in the area of Lava Tree State Park.

The highway was closed around noon but reopened about 2:30, Hawaii County Civil Defense officials said.

More than 6,000 customers of the Hawaii Electrical Light Co., mostly from Volcano to Pahoa, lost power after high winds knocked down power lines in various areas of Puna, said Kristin Okinaka, HELCO deputy corporate communications officer.

At the peak there were about 6,300 homes and businesses without power, according to Hawaii Electric Light Co. That included 2,800 customers from Volcano to Glenwood, 2,200 customers from Kalapana to Nanawale and 1,300 in Panaewa. Power was restored to some areas, and by mid-afternoon there were 5,000 customers without power, HELCO reported.

The effects of tropical storm Flossie were seen and felt in Kailua-Kona on Monday.
MICHAEL DARDEN / SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER

Power has since been restored to about 500 customers, but HELCO crews are still working on the rest of the outages, Okinaka said about 3:45 p.m.

Portions of Kona and Kohala began feeling the brunt of the storm about mid-afternoon.

About 2:30 p.m., Kaiminani Drive near Pia Place, in a subdivision mauka of Keahole Airport, was closed for about half an hour due to a fallen tree, Civil Defense officials said. It has since been reopened.

The county's Hele-On bus service is expected to resume full operations on Tuesday. A single run of the Kohala-Hilo route is scheduled to go at 7:30 tonight.

In the central part of the island, rain fell but many residents went about their business like it was a normal day.

A Goodfellows Brothers crew of about half a dozen workers plugged along on a state Department of Transportation road widening project on Saddle Road near the Army's Pohakuloa Training Area.

One worker, decked out in rain gear, said the crew was scheduled to work a 10-hour shift.

At the Waimea Community Center in South Kohala, about a dozen people had walked into the emergency shelter staffed by American Red Cross workers and made inquiries about everything from whether showers were available (they're not) or whether the shelter could house pets, said volunteer Balbi Brooks.

The effects of tropical storm Flossie were seen and felt in Kailua-Kona on Monday.
MICHAEL DARDEN / SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER

One man who had been booted from his Spencer Beach Park camp site showed up to use the restroom at the community center, and then slept in the parking lot.

A woman, who declined to give her name, was waiting for the county's Hele-On bus service to be restored, or for someone to give her a ride to Puna.

Dave Richardson, Red Cross volunteer, said "this is like any other day in Waimea except the wind is blowing west to east."

The island was getting the first punch of the weakening Flossie, which was barely holing on to its tropical storm status late this morning. By this afternoon, National Weather Service forecasters had lowered rainfall estimates for the island from up to 12 inches to 2 to 4 inches.

Earlier in the day, Hawaii island officials were preparing for the worst despite word that Tropical Storm Flossie was taking a slightly northern path as it reached Hawaiian waters around daybreak.

Hawaii island acting Civil Defense administrator Darryl Oliveira said he was told by National Weather Service officials that despite the somewhat rosier forecast, there was no change in the anticipated amount of rain or decrease in the strength of the winds headed toward the island.

"The most difficult thing is the track of this thing at this point and where it might make landfall — direct impact on the Big Island or whether it’s going to go in the (Alenuihaha) channel, or if it will just continue further north,” he said.

A steady rain fell overnight in Hilo but nothing residents from the town once dubbed the wettest in the United States were getting exciting about.

“That’s just Hilo,” Hoolulu Park Complex recreation specialist Dean Goya said of the rain as he and three American Red Cross volunteers sat in an empty Aunty Sally’s Luau Hale, the designated evacuation shelter for downtown Hilo, at 4:30 a.m.

The other eight shelters around Hawaii island: Pahoa Community Center, Laupahoehoe Charter School, Honokaa Sports Complex, Waimea Community Center, Hisaoka Gym in North Kohala, Mountain View School, Pahala Community Center, West Hawaii Civic Center. - Star Advertiser.

STORM ALERT: Tropical Storm Flossie to Cross Hawaii On Monday - Could Bring Dangerous Surf, Flooding Rainfall And Potentially Damaging Winds!

July 28, 2013 - HAWAII - Dangerous surf, flooding rain and potentially damaging winds are in store for Hawaii with the arrival of Tropical Storm Flossie.

Tropical Storm Flossie is expected to pass over or in between the northern tip of the Big Island and southern Maui Island on Monday.

After undergoing some weakening, Flossie will either be a minimal tropical storm or a depression at that time.

Not since Hurricane Iniki from 1992 has a hurricane or tropical storm reached Hawaii.

The impacts of Flossie, however, will begin before the weekend comes to a close.

Surf will build along the shores of all the islands late Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. Extremely rough conditions will then make it dangerous for residents and visitors to enter the water on Monday.

The surf will also create hazards for small craft, as well as cause some incidents of coastal flooding.

Gusty wind and squally rain from Flossie will spread in an east-to-west fashion across the islands Monday through Monday night.

The strongest winds associated with Flossie are howling along and north of its center, meaning gusts between 40 and 50 mph are in store for places from the northern tip of the Big Island to Oahu. Gusts will be closer to the lower end of that range in Honolulu.

Sustained winds of those speeds are possible along the northern coasts of these islands.

Winds of 40 to 50 mph, sustained or in gusts, have the potential to cause tree damage and power outages. Loose items on structures and lawn items can easily get thrown around and become damaged.

The rain from Flossie will taper off on Tuesday, but not before threatening to cause flash flooding. The rain will amount to a general 2 to 4 inches. The best opportunity for totals of 4 inches, and even up to 6 inches, is across windward areas.

Upwards of a foot of rain is possible in the mauka, or mountainous areas, and along their slopes. Such totals cannot only easily trigger flash flooding but also mudslides.

Flossie is also expected to spark rare flashes of lightning and may spawn an isolated waterspout or tornado.

It is rare for a tropical storm or hurricane to strike Hawaii due to the cool waters that typically lie to the east.

Only two hurricanes have made landfall in Hawaii since 1950 and both arrived from the warmer waters to the south.

Hurricane Iniki from 1992 was not only the last of these two hurricanes, but also the last hurricane or tropical storm to slam Hawaii. - AccuWeather.

WEATHER ANOMALIES: Hawaii's Gentle Breezes Are Disappearing - But Scientists Don't Know Why?!

June 06, 2013 - HAWAII - Part of what makes living in Hawaii so pleasant is the gentle breeze. Arriving from the northeast, it's light enough that it is barely noticeable but strong enough to chase away the humidity.

It's a natural draw to the outdoors. It is not uncommon to show up at a house to find its residents relaxing out in the covered porch or in the car port, not their living room, and enjoying the cooling winds -- and a cool drink.

A palm tree stands out against the Honolulu skyline in this 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Nowadays, experts say, these breezes, called trade winds, are declining, a drop that's slowly changing life across the islands.

The effects can be seen from the relatively minor, such as residents unaccustomed to the humidity complaining about the weather and having to use their fans and air conditioning more often, to the more consequential, including winds being too weak to blow away volcanic smog.

The winds also help bring the rains, and their decline means less water. It's one reason officials are moving to restore the health of the mountainous forests that hold the state's water supply and encourage water conservation. Scholars are studying ways for farmers to plant crops differently.

It's not clear what's behind the shift in the winds.

"People always try to ask me: 'Is this caused by global warming?' But I have no idea," said University of Hawaii at Manoa meteorologist Pao-shin Chu, who began to wonder a few years ago about the winds becoming less steady and more intermittent.

Chu suggested a graduate student look into it. The resulting study, published last fall in the Journal of Geophysical Research, showed a decades-long decline, including a 28 per cent drop in northeast trade wind days at Honolulu's airport since the early 1970s.

The scientists used wind data from four airports and four ocean buoys as well as statistical data analysis for their study. Now, they are working to project future trade winds using the most recent data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific body of the United Nations.

Luke Evslin is already noticing the dip. The 28-year-old has paddled outrigger canoes -- boats long used around the Pacific for fishing, travel and racing -- for most of his life. In Hawaii, this means he rides waves generated by trade winds. These days, though, there are fewer waves to surf because the winds are arriving less often.

"You show up and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. So instead of a 3-hour-45-minute race, it turns into a 5 1/2-hour race," Evslin said. "So instead of testing your surfing ability, it's testing your endurance. It's a different type of paddling."

He's thinking he'll now have to start training for races in canals and rivers to better prepare for flat water conditions.

Sometimes the winds are too weak to blow away the volcanic smog, or vog, created by sulfur dioxide erupting from Kilauea volcano on the Big Island, leaving a white or brownish haze hanging over Honolulu. This aggravates asthma and other respiratory problems.

For now, Chu said the most important consequence will be declining rainfall and a drop in the water supply, particularly as Hawaii's population grows and uses more water.

Trade winds deliver rain to Hawaii when clouds carried from the northeast hit mountainous islands built by millions of years of volcanic eruptions. These rains, together with rainfall from winter storms, are the state's primary sources of water.

On Oahu, the rain feeds ground aquifers that supply water to about 950,000 people in Honolulu and surrounding towns.

Barry Usagawa, the water resources program administrator for Honolulu's water utility, said residents are reporting streams near their homes are flowing lower than before.

"What we don't know is if this is truly a downward trend or just the lower leg of a long-term cycle. Is it going to go back up?" he said. The utility has contracted Chu to develop rainfall forecasts to plan for the decades ahead.

The water utility is also encouraging people to fix leaks and buy appliances that use less water to reduce their water consumption. It's developing water recycling facilities so places like golf courses will be irrigated with recycled water. Desalinizing ocean water may also be an option, Usagawa said.

In the meantime, the utility supports efforts to improve the health of Oahu's forests so they can absorb as much rain as they get.

The Legislature this year approved a state budget with $8.5 million for watershed protection steps next fiscal year that include removing invasive weeds and keeping out pigs and other feral animals that dig up forest plants.

The drop in trade winds, along with a separate decline in winter Kona storms, is one reason parts of Hawaii are in drought. Maui, for example, just had the driest April on record.

To cope with the rainfall decline, University of Hawaii at Manoa agriculture professor Ali Fares said farmers can try to grow crops during the rainy reason and avoid months with more uncertainty about water availability.

Farmers could also plant more drought tolerant crops and irrigate when crops are under the most stress. "So many people only talk about drought when there's no water. But it's too late then. We have to talk about these before they happen," Fares said.

The trade wind decline may be too subtle to affect the state's biggest industry, tourism, and keep away any of the 8 million travellers who visit Hawaii each year. After all, even without trade winds, Hawaii's humidity is mild compared to Hong Kong or Tokyo. And the heat here is nothing compared to summer in Texas or Arizona.

"We do have the best weather in the planet. We really do," said Jerome Agrusa, a travel industry management professor at Hawaii Pacific University. "Once you leave to go visit somewhere else, you realize. I go away and I think: 'What did I go for?"' - CTV  News.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Moderate 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Hawaii - Shaking Felt As Far As Maui And Oahu!

June 04, 2013 - HAWAII - The U.S. Geological Survey is revising the magnitude of an earthquake off the southeast coast of Hawaii to 5.3.

USGS earthquake location.

Tuesday afternoon's earthquake was centered about 34 miles southeast of Pahala on the Big Island, at a depth of about 25 miles. Officials say it's not expected to generate a tsunami.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira says there are no immediate reports of damage.

The USGS reported earlier that the quake's magnitude was 5.6.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

People as far away as Maui and Oahu reported weak shaking to the USGS. The Oahu Department of Emergency Management says some areas may have experienced strong shaking.

Kevin Dayton, the executive assistant to the mayor, says he felt a large jolt in the county building in Hilo. A stock clerk at the Mizuno Superette grocery store in Pahala says the shelves rocked but nothing fell. - ABC News.

GLOBAL COASTAL EVENT: Monster 25-Foot Waves Hit And Pound Hawaii - Swell Peaks On Oahu's North Shore!

December 26, 2012 - HAWAII - Monster waves with up to 25-foot-faces hit the islands, injuring some surfers and attracting numerous onlookers. A high surf warning is in effect until Wednesday. Even the most experienced surfers say it's just too dangerous to go in the water, but that didn't stop some people. It was no holiday for Mother Nature, as she came crashing down onto numerous beaches.

North Shore Swell. Courtesy: Terry Reis.

"Couple rogue sets coming through, washing machine, but there's a few to be had out there for sure," said surfer Sean Morin. A swell generated by a storm last week peaked Tuesday, providing these conditions on the north shores of the major Hawaiian islands. Some surfers braved the waters, but didn't always make it out unharmed. Paramedics remained busy, as well as lifeguards. Despite their warnings like this one: "For your own safety, all you people stay high on the beach," said a lifeguard. Onlookers didn't always listen and learned the hard way, how unpredictable Mother Nature can be. "Yeah, all of a sudden out of nowhere I didn't even see it coming, took us away and got beat up a little bit, but not too bad," said tourist Kat Young. "It's kind of like, you're looking down and all of a sudden, phew...it was fun. But never, ever again," said tourist Debbie Hupe.

But those who know how dangerous these waves can be, decided to watch from afar. Larry Russo and his son have been body surfing and body boarding in these waters for decades, but not today. "We know when it's safe and when it's not safe, and today's not a safe day. Depending on the swell, it's easy. Somedays are easier than others, and today it's very treacherous," said Larry Russo, bodysurfer. "Because it's very unpredictable, there's different direction of swells coming in. It's almost too big to be out there," said Larry Russo Jr., bodyboarder. There were more than a dozen rescues on Tuesday. But even with the dangers, those who know the feeling, will be back. "It's just fun, fun, free, easy," said Larry Russo. "Because it takes your mind off everything, everything in life that's bothering you or stressing you, you go out in the ocean, you catch some really good waves and you forget all about it," said Larry Russo Jr. The high surf warning is posted until 6 a.m. Wednesday. Another storm could bring more waves on Thursday. - KHON2.

WATCH: Swell peaks on Oahu's North Shore.

MONUMENTAL EARTH CHANGES: Geological Upheaval - Study Says Hawaiian Islands Are Dissolving From Within!

December 22, 2012 - HAWAII - Most of us think of soil erosion as the primary force that levels mountains, however geologists have found that Oahu's mountains are dissolving from within due to groundwater.

Hawaiian islands are dissolving from within.

Someday, Oahu's Koolau and Waianae mountains will be reduced to nothing more than a flat, low-lying island like Midway.  But erosion isn't the biggest culprit. Instead, scientists say, the mountains of Oahu are actually dissolving from within.  "We tried to figure out how fast the island is going away and what the influence of climate is on that rate," said Brigham Young University geologist Steve Nelson. "More material is dissolving from those islands than what is being carried off through erosion."  The research pitted groundwater against stream water to see which removed more mineral material. Nelson and his BYU colleagues spent two months sampling both types of sources. In addition, ground and surface water estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey helped them calculate the total quantity of mass that disappeared from the island each year. 

Someday groundwater will dissolve Hawaii's islands completely.
(Credit: Image courtesy of Brigham Young University).

"All of the Hawaiian Islands are made of just one kind of rock," Nelson said. "The weathering rates are variable, too, because rainfall is so variable, so it's a great natural laboratory."  Forecasting the island's future also needs to account for plate tectonics. As Oahu is pushed northwest, the island actually rises in elevation at a slow but steady rate. You've heard of mountain climbing; this is a mountain that climbs.  According to the researchers' estimates, the net effect is that Oahu will continue to grow for as long as 1.5 million years. Beyond that, the force of groundwater will eventually triumph and the island will begin its descent to a low-lying topography.  Undergraduate student Brian Selck co-authored the study, which appears in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Unfortunately for him, he joined the project only after the field work in Hawaii took place.  Instead, Selck performed the mineralogical analysis of soil samples in the lab back in Provo. The island's volcanic soil contained at least one surprise in weathered rock called saprolites.  "The main thing that surprised me on the way was the appearance of a large amount of quartz in a saprolite taken from a 1-meter depth," Selck said.  After he graduates from BYU, Selck will pursue a career in hydrogeology. BYU geology professor David Tingey joins Nelson and Selck as a co-author on the new study. - Science Daily.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Humongous Landslide-Driven Mega-Tsunamis Threaten Hawaii!

December 06, 2012 - HAWAII - It's almost unimaginable: a tsunami more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) high bearing down on the island of Hawaii. But scientists have new evidence of these monster waves, called megatsunamis, doing just that. The findings were presented here yesterday (Dec. 5) at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Unlike tsunamis from earthquakes, the Hawaiian tsunamis strike when the island chain's massive volcanoes collapse in humongous landslides. This happens about every 100,000 years, and is linked to climate change, said Gary McMurtry, a professor at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

Sunglint surrounds half of the Hawaiian Islands. CREDIT: NASA.

Sitting about 30 feet (10 m) away from today's Ka Le (South Point) seashore are boulders the size of cars. Some 250,000 years ago, a tsunami tossed the enormous rocks 820 feet (250 m) up the island's slopes, said Fernando Marques, a professor at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. (The boulders are closer to the shore now because the main island of Hawaii is one of the world's largest volcanoes, and its massive weight sends it sinking into the Earth at a rate of about 1 millimeter a year.) McMurtry's team found two younger and slightly smaller tsunami deposits at South Point on the main island of Hawaii, one 50,000 years old and one 13,000 years old. He suggests the tsunami source is the two Ka Le submarine landslides, from the flanks of the nearby Mauna Loa volcano. The waves carried corals and 3-foot (1 m) boulders 500 feet (150 m) inland.

Deadly, landslide-triggered tsunamis happen at volcanic islands around the world, and are a potential hazard for the Eastern United States. "We find them everywhere, but we don't know of any historical cases, so we have to go back in time," said Anthony Hildenbrand, a volcanologist at the University of Paris-Sud in France, who helped identify the ancient tsunami deposit. The falling rock acts like a paddle, giving the water a sudden push. While landslide tsunamis may have a devastating local effect, they lose their power in the open ocean and don't destroy distant coastlines like earthquake tsunamis. The giant landslides seem to happen during periods of rising sea levels, when the climate is also warmer and wetter, Hildenbrand told OurAmazingPlanet. Researchers speculate that the change from lower sea level to higher may destabilize a volcanic island's flanks, and heavier rains could soak its steep slopes, helping trigger landslides. There are at least 15 giant landslides that have slid off the Hawaiian Islands in the past 4 million years, with the most recent happening only 100,000 years ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. One block of rock that slid off Oahu is the size of Manhattan. - Our Amazing Planet.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Hawaii Beaches Eroding - Maui, Kauai, Oahu Tourist Sites Are Disappearing!

Federal officials say most beaches on Hawaii's most visited islands are disappearing.

The U.S. Geological Survey said in a study released Monday that 70 percent of beaches on Maui, Kauai and Oahu are going through long-term erosion.

The study says 85 percent of beaches are eroding on Maui, while more than 70 percent are eroding on Kauai.

The study says 60 percent of Oahu's beaches are eroding.

The study's lead author says he hopes the study will help guide developers and local officials as they consider development along the shoreline.

Chip Fletcher of the University of Hawaii says the study looked at more than 12,000 locations.

Beaches are the top attraction for more than 7 million Hawaii visitors each year. Tourists spent $12.6 billion in the state last year. - Huffington Post.

WEATHER ANOMALIES: Hailstone Declared Largest on Record to Hit Hawaii!

At 4.25 inches long, 2.25 inches tall and 2 inches wide, a hailstone that fell on the windward side of Oahu this month has been declared the largest on record to hit Hawaii, the National Weather Service announced. Records for Hawaii go back to 1950 and the previous record was a relatively puny 1 inch in diameter.

"The record-setting hailstone was dropped by a supercell thunderstorm on the windward side of Oahu and produced large hail in Kaneohe and Kailua," the service said in a statement. "Numerous reports of hail with diameters of 2 to 3 inches and greater were reported. Hail to the size of golf balls and baseballs can only form within intense, thunderstorms called 'supercells'," the service added. "These supercells need warm, moist air to rise into progressively colder, drier air; as well as winds changing direction and increasing speed with increasing height off the ground.

For both sets of conditions to exist at the same time in Hawaii is extremely rare, but did occur on March 9. Conditions were ideal for a supercell to form, which on National Weather Service radar imagery looked exactly like such storms in the central portions of the contiguous United States where severe hail larger than an inch in diameter is most common." The March 9 supercell also spawned a tornado with winds of 60-70 mph in Lanikai and Enchanted Lakes on Oahu.  A hailstone that hit Vivian, S.D., on July 23, 2010, holds the U.S record for largest diameter (8 inches) and for weight (1.938 pounds). A hailstone in Aurora, Neb., on June 22, 2003, has the largest circumference (18.75 inches). - MSNBC.