Storms hit Pacific islands by Steph Ball
A powerful storm slammed into the Hawaiian Islands mid-week, triggering a blizzard warning for the summit areas of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and leaving thousands without power. Meanwhile in the southern Pacific, Cyclone Daman has intensified into a category 4 cyclone and continues to bear down on the Fijian Islands.
The storm which hit the Hawaiian Islands on Wednesday brought torrential rain and gale force winds. Warnings of flash floods and strong winds remained in force on Thursday as emergency services tried to clear debris and deal with the downed power lines which left almost 45,000 without power. The most significant flooding occurred on Maui and the Big Island. Some residents described the weather as the worst in recent memory.
A Kona low was said to be responsible for the storm. Kona is a Polynesian term for leeward and is used to describe the change of wind from easterly to southerly. This change occurs over the islands when this type of low pressure develops in the cool season of the central Pacific Ocean.
While weather conditions have improved across Hawaii, the northern Fijian Island of Vanua Levu is bracing itself for the arrival of Cyclone Daman. Daman intensified into a category 4 storm on Thursday night (the second strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale). It has since weakened but is still a powerful storm with winds early Friday morning reported to be gusting up to 150mph (240km/h).
Cyclone Daman is expected to hit the northern Fijian Island overnight, bringing the risk of severe flooding and lashing the island with winds in excess of 100mph (160km/h). Further updates may appear here on Saturday.
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