A digging upper trough, a nearby jet stream, and low-level instability generated blustery weather over the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Summit Road was closed due to high winds and blowing snow that created white-out conditions.
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The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
A digging upper trough, a nearby jet stream, and low-level instability generated blustery weather over the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Summit Road was closed due to high winds and blowing snow that created white-out conditions. There were no reports of significant property damage or injuries.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 11, 4:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 AM HST WED MAR 11 2015 .SYNOPSIS... WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE WEST LATE TODAY...WITH PASSING SHOWERS AFFECTING THE SMALLER ISLANDS. DEEPENING LAYERED CLOUDS OVER THE BIG ISLAND WILL SPREAD TO THE NORTH...BRINGING MORE SHOWERS TO THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI THROUGH THURSDAY WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN THIS WEEKEND BRIEFLY. && .DISCUSSION... LIGHT LOW LEVEL WINDS CONTINUE ACROSS THE ISLANDS EARLY THIS MORNING...AS A WEAK SURFACE RIDGE RESIDES OVER THE AREA. MOISTURE ARE SPREADING ACROSS THE ISLANDS VICINITY...AS LATEST RADAR DATA SHOW A LITTLE INCREASE IN RAIN CLOUDS OVER THE AREA. EARLY MORNING HILO SOUNDING CERTAINTY HAS MOISTENED UP QUITE A BIT...WHILE LIHUE SOUNDING ALSO SHOWED A LITTLE MORE PRECIPITABLE WATERS AS WELL...THOUGH THAT MAY BE DUE TO THE PRESENT OF THE HIGH CLOUDS. A SURFACE FRONTAL SYSTEM WHICH PERSISTS SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND IN THE PAST FEW DAYS IS EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTH TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...AS THE MAIN SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FAR NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT ROTATES A LITTLE MORE SOUTHWARD. AS THE MOISTURE SPREADS NORTH...EXPECT AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS FOR THE BIG ISLAND AS WELL AS MAUI LATER TODAY AND THURSDAY. FORECAST MODELS ALSO INDICATE SOME MOISTURE FROM THE MAIN SURFACE LOW TO REACH THE ISLANDS ON THURSDAY AS WELL. LOOK FOR RATHER CLOUDY CONDITIONS TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH THE BIG ISLAND SEEING INCREASING RAINFALL. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE LATER TODAY FROM THE WEST...AS A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS FAR NORTHWEST OF THE ISLANDS...RESULTING TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE AREA. VERY STRONG WINDS WITH BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES CONTINUE OVER THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS EARLY THIS MORNING. WITH LAYERED CLOUDS CONTINUE TO STREAM ACROSS THE ISLANDS UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL WESTERLY FLOW...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. SOME OF THESE CLOUDS ARE LOW ENOUGH TO BRING PRECIPITATION TO THE SUMMITS. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION OVER THE SUMMITS WILL BE SNOW...THOUGH FREEZING FOG AND ICE ARE A POSSIBILITY. THEREFORE...A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SUMMITS TODAY. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING VERY STRONG WINDS TO THE SUMMITS OF BIG ISLAND UNTIL THEN. WITH THE DEEP MOISTURE LINGERING OVER THE BIG ISLAND...THE BLIZZARD WARNING FOR THE SUMMITS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY. THE AFOREMENTIONED HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS AND WEAKEN A BIT OVER THE WEEKEND. AS SUCH...DRIER AND MORE TYPICAL EASTERLY TRADE WINDS WEATHER WILL RETURN TO THE STATE OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. TRADE WINDS MAY BE SHORT-LIVED THOUGH...AS LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS HINT ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM MAY APPROACH THE ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... AIRMET SIERRA REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION OVER THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST SIDES OF THE BIG ISLAND. THE LAYERED CLOUDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BRING WINTRY WEATHER TO THE SUMMITS...AND AIRMET ZULU MAY BE NEEDED FOR ICING. AIRMET TANGO IS IN EFFECT FOR OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURBULENCE BETWEEN FL250 AND FL350. OTHERWISE...ISLANDS SHOULD STAY FAIRLY BENIGN TODAY AND VFR WILL PREVAIL AT MOST SMALLER ISLAND TERMINALS. && .MARINE... AN INCREASING NORTH NORTHWEST SWELL WILL REACH THE AREA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...PEAKING EARLY FRIDAY WITH SURF HEIGHTS LIKELY APPROACHING WARNING LEVELS. THIS SWELL WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH DURING THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A SMALL SOUTHWEST SWELL WILL ARRIVE ON FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATE TODAY...THOUGH SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVEL UNTIL LATE THURSDAY. WITH THE PENDING NEW NORTH-NORTHWEST SWELL...EXPECT SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS TO BE MET OVER MOST OF COASTAL WATERS DUE TO WINDS AND SEAS BY LATE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. && AVIATION...POWELL REST...HUI
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
White-out conditions with high winds around 50 knots and blowing snow. The Summit Road was closed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 2015
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 560663.