Sarah Strong wasn’t sure she really wanted to grab the kids and sweaters and head for the hills Thursday night — but she’s glad she did.
Sarah Strong wasn’t sure she really wanted to grab the kids and sweaters and head for the hills Thursday night — but she’s glad she did.
The Hilo family was dining when news came about mountain weather. So, the Hilo family headed to Saddle Road.
What they found was a winter wonderland.
Tiny hailstones fell so deep it looked, packed and felt like snow — when the hail hit.
“Everyone was stopping, throwing snowballs,” Strong said.
In places, she said, the hail was two feet deep, with bare spots between.
It was too warm during a recent Boston trip for the kids’ first snow.
So Thursday was their first wintry experience.
“They loved it,” Strong said. “My little one was getting a little cold.” Three-year-old Kanoe kept asking to change boots, try on warmer sweater. By then, it was time to go.
But she and 5-year-old Maile had a blast.
“They were a little hungry and grumpy at the end,” Strong said. “But I was like, ‘Was it worth it?’ and they were like, ‘Yeah, it was worth it!’”
The National Weather Service didn’t record hail depth, but said it was hail, not snow, that fell near the 17-mile marker on Saddle Road, and in Pahoa.
“We got reports of pea-sized hail on the Big Island,” NWS meteorologist Bob Burke said.
East Hawaii thunderstorms were quite strong Thursday night, he said, and produced “quite a bit of lightning.”
Talmadge Magno, Civil Defense director, said lightning doused several Hilo streetlights. But drivers appropriately treated lights as four-way stops.
“We thank people for being patient and being safe,” Magno said. “There were no reports of any accidents or any injuries.”
Hawaii Electric Light Co. said about 1,250 Hilo customers lost power for about 1 1/2 hours Thursday. Most customers’ power was restored by early evening.
High moisture levels, with warm air in the lower atmosphere and colder air aloft, can trigger thunderstorms, Burke said. That’s what happened Thursday night with a lack of trade winds that normally would stop storm formation.
Burke expects sun today and Sunday, with afternoon rains possible.
Vog also could be heavy this weekend because winds will be light. Trade winds might not relieve East Hawaii of vog until Tuesday.
Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.