Hawaii Kona storm sweeps state with 135-mph winds, 44 inches of rain, summit snow
An emergency declaration was issued as a prolonged kona storm brought dangerous flooding, high winds over 100 mph and 1-2 feet of snow to the summits.
Farmland in Waialua, Hawaii, on the North Shore of Oʻahu, is flooded as a Kona Low brings heavy rain and strong wind gusts to the islands. Hawaii is under a state of emergency.
Hawaii is under a state of emergency after a powerful Kona storm brought heavy rain, wind gusts over 100 mph, widespread power outages and heavy snow to the highest summits.
Outages jumped early Saturday, as more than 100,000 customers were without power across the islands, with the majority in Honolulu County, according to PowerOutage.US. By Monday morning, about half of homes and businesses had power restored.
By Saturday morning, between 22 and 32 inches of rain had fallen on the island of Maui. On Monday, rain totals reached 44.37 inches at Kula on Maui and 38.17 inches at Puuwaawaa on the Big Island.
Widespread flooding affected the islands, with farmland, homes and businesses, including a Target on Maui.
Also in Maui, a couple watched as their home collapsed into the rushing water of the Iao Stream.
“I just went in and grabbed the last thing inside the garage and about two minutes later, we heard the cracking. I held my phone up and videotaped it and it just went boom, right into the water," owner Tom Beshaw told HawaiiNewsNow.
Their daughter Stephanie Ichinose set up a GoFundMe, saying "Because their home was not located in a designated flood zone, they did not carry flood insurance."
Part of a house is missing after flooding in Hawaii on Mar. 14, 2025. (GoFundMe/Stephanie Ichinose)
Gusty winds developed late Thursday night across the westernmost islands and spread to the Big Island Friday evening.
Blustery conditions continued on Saturday, with extreme gusts reported on mountain summits, including 135 mph at Kaiaulu Puu Waawaa and 110 mph at Mauna Kea, home to research and astronomy facilities.
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Heavy snow on Hawaii's summits
Colder air wrapping into the storm brought winter conditions to the highest elevations. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Honolulu issued a winter storm warning for the Big Island summits through Saturday afternoon. AccuWeather meteorologists estimated that 1-2 feet of snow fell on the summits, along with blowing snow and periods of whiteout conditions.
Cameras on NASA telescope facilities on Mauna Kea were coated in snow and ice by Friday morning but stopped transmitting Friday afternoon after power outages.
Snow covers one of the telescope facilities on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, on March 13, 2026 during the kona storm. (Image credit: NASA Infrared Telescope Facility/University of Hawaii)
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency declaration for the islands to take proactive steps ahead of the prolonged weather event.
Kilauea eruption adds ash and road impacts on Big Island
A photo showing volcanic rock and ash (tephra) raining down from a lava fountain and a gas plume at the summit of Kilauea in Hawaii during eruption 43. (Image: NPS)
In addition to the snow, wind and flooding potential, an eruptive episode from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano sent tephra outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park into adjacent communities early in the week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In Volcano Village, located northeast of the eruptive vents at the summit of KÄ«lauea, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, fallout from episode 43 was less extensive than the areas to the west. This photograph shows a parking area that nearly continuously covered with tephra particles ranging up to a couple inches in diameter. (Image: USGS)
Tephra as large as 6 inches was reported along the Volcano Golf Course, and Pele’s hair was observed as far as Hilo. The NWS issued ashfall warnings Tuesday as volcanic particles spread downwind.
Due to significant tephra fallout, Highway 11 was closed to allow workers to use heavy equipment to clear roadways, according to the National Park Service.
While the lava activity remains confined to the summit area, ash and falling volcanic debris can create hazardous travel conditions and air quality concerns across parts of the Big Island.
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