Windy day on Big Island

Tribune-Herald

A cold front that swept across the state made for a breezy day on the Big Island.

The system is creating a challenging day at the beach, as wind-swept whitecaps prompted the National Weather Service to issue a small craft advisory through this afternoon.

Today’s forecast calls for wind-driven waves of 9 feet and a 16-foot northwest swell.

The highest winds were on Mauna Kea, which was under a high wind warning — wind speeds of 50 to 60 mph were common, with gusts up to 75 mph.

By Wednesday evening, the weather alerts had been downgraded, and things should be back to normal today.

“The winds we’re experiencing right now are going to be as strong as they’re going to be,” said Jon Drummond, interim administrator for the county Civil Defense Agency.

Drummond checked with both the police and fire dispatches and found “no reports of any damage.”

“So far, so good,” he said.

But the weather system posed challenges for two cruise ships that have canceled their visits to Hilo.

A state harbors official told the Tribune-Herald that the 1,846-passenger liner Oosterdam has canceled its visit to Hilo today, and the 3,168-passenger Sapphire Princess, which was scheduled to call Saturday, has also scrubbed its call.

“They will not reschedule due to the windy weather,” the official said.

Mauna Kea’s summit road was reopened to the public Wednesday, but because of the persistent high winds a recorded message advised visitors to park their cars into the wind and to roll down their windows when opening doors. A wind gauge at Hilo International Airport recorded sustained northerly wind speeds in excess of 20 mph from noon through about 4 p.m., with gusts as strong as 32 mph.

Forecasters expected regular trade winds to return today, with some windward and mauka showers returning over the weekend.