Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Hawaii
Hawaii hikers warned about sudden freezing rain
Hikers in Hawaii were warned about encountering sudden freezing rain as a severe winter storm brought cold temperatures to Haleakalā overnight on Thursday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Honolulu issued a winter weather warning for the summit and the upper slopes of the Haleakalā volcano in Maui on Thursday. The severe weather will continue until 8 a.m. Friday morning local time.
Winter weather at Haleakalā was so severe that the Summit District of Haleakalā National Park closed on Friday, citing hazardous conditions. The park also canceled all of its sunrise reservations for the day, according to a report by National Parks Traveler. Meanwhile, reservations for the Hosmer Grove Campground were canceled for Thursday. Reservations, however, remained opened for Haleakalā crater, but the summit district warned backpackers to prepare for severe winter weather conditions and freezing rain.
NWS meteorologist Joseph Clark told Newsweek on Friday that typically, Haleakalā’s summit maintains temperatures above freezing, even in the winter months. However, freezing weather reached the volcano’s summit at 10,000 feet, and up to three tenths of an inch of ice was predicted to form as rain fell on the volcano’s upper slopes. Winds gusting as high as 60 miles per hour also were expected.
Getty
“A fast-moving cold front will bring freezing rain to the Summit and upper slopes of Haleakala tonight and early Friday morning,” the NWS’s Thursday warning said, adding that “significant icing was expected.”
The NWS said that “the front will move quickly east of Maui by Friday afternoon, and the chance for rainfall will diminish as temperatures gradually warm.”
The agency also urged people to postpone any travel plans to the Haleakalā summit given the severe, freezing conditions.
“A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet, and ice are expected or occurring. Strong winds are also possible,” the warning said. “This will make travel very hazardous or impossible.”
Snow and winter weather conditions are not uncommon at Hawaii’s high-altitude volcanos, which can reach 14,000 feet high. Earlier this season, 6 inches of snow fell at the peak of Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island. However, the conditions are less common at Haleakalā, which is shorter than Mauna Kea.
“[Winter weather] is not as common as it is on the higher slopes of the Big Island,” Clark told Newsweek. “It’s less common to get winter weather [at Haleakalā], but it does happen.”
The severe weather comes as similar winter weather alerts were issued for every single U.S. state on Friday morning. A deadly winter storm gripped the nation on Friday and will be followed by frigid temperatures, with wind chill as cold as 70 degrees below zero in some northern states as an arctic blast follows the storm.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
COURTESY USGS
This U.S. Geological Survey map shows the location of a magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck off Hawaii island’s southwest coast Friday night.
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Hawaii island Thursday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the quake, which hit at 8:17 p.m., was about 34 miles west-southwest of Captain Cook at a depth of about 24 miles below sea level, USGS officials said. It did not generate a tsunami threat to the islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
USGS said in a statement that the earthquake “was related to bending of the ocean crust and upper brittle mantle (the lithosphere) by the weight of the islands.” No impact to the Mauna Loa volcano nor the ongoing Kilauea eruption was expected.
The USGS self-reported “Did you feel it?” online survey for the earthquake generated well over 200 responses, mostly on the Big Island but including several from Oahu and Maui.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Democratic Party of Hawaii selected three nominees to fill the vacant Senate District 18 seat, serving Central Oahu, Mililani, Waipio and Waipahu, after Sen. Michelle Kidani’s retirement.
Kidani’s retirement took effect on June 30.
The party announced Thursday that Sechyi Laiu, Beth K Fukumoto, and Danielle Bass were submitted for selection to fill the seat.
Laiu is a senior Hawaii civil service administrator with more than 15 years of experience in commercial, family, immigration and legislative law. He is the litigation coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and was a staff attorney for the city on transportation, public safety, legal affairs and salary compensation.
Fukumoto is a political columnist, longtime Miliani resident and former state representative. She served as vice chair of the House committees on Tourism and Veterans, Military and International Affairs and Culture and the Arts.
Bass is a fourth-generation, lifelong Miliani resident, with more than 20 years of experience serving Central Oahu and Hawaii. She served as Legislative and Committee Manager in the House and advanced sustainability and resilience initiatives and policies as the state’s sustainability coordinator.
The governor will choose one of the three to serve as the next state senator for Central Oahu.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
First 5 Hawaii is a comprehensive online resource that helps families with young children find and connect to state and federal programs and services.
Honolulu (KHON2) – Navigating the many programs and services available for young children can be overwhelming, but First 5 Hawaii is making it easier for families to find the support they need.
Designed for families with children from birth to age 5, First 5 Hawaii is the state’s first comprehensive online resource that helps connect parents and caregivers with state and federal programs they may qualify for.
By answering a few simple questions, families can quickly discover resources tailored to their specific needs.
The website serves as a one-stop shop, partnering with 18 state and federal programs to help connect families with services such as preschool, child care assistance, health coverage, nutrition programs including WIC and SNAP, parenting support, developmental screenings, and special needs services.
Parents can also explore age-appropriate activities, child development information, and helpful parenting resources.
What sets First 5 Hawaii apart is its personalized eligibility screening tool.
Instead of searching multiple websites and applying for programs one at a time, families can use a single resource to identify benefits they may qualify for across early learning, health care, nutrition, housing assistance, and more.
Even families who aren’t sure they qualify are encouraged to give it a try. The online eligibility screener is free, confidential, and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Many families are surprised to learn they may be eligible for programs they didn’t know existed.
By bringing trusted resources together in one convenient location, First 5 Hawaii helps remove barriers for busy parents and makes it easier to access services that support healthy child development during the most important early years of life.
To learn more or complete the eligibility screener, visit the First 5 Hawaii website.
-
Dallas, TX24 seconds agoFC Dallas Forward Logan Farrington Inks Contract Extension
-
Boston, MA8 minutes agoRed Sox face lengthy travel issues ahead of series vs. Mets
-
Denver, CO15 minutes agoWhat’s going on with the Nuggets? Unpacking an NBA offseason on hold
-
Seattle, WA18 minutes agoSeattle Kraken Sign Goaltender Victor Östman and Defenseman Ville Ottavainen to One-Year Deals | Seattle Kraken
-
San Diego, CA23 minutes agoAn executive shuffle at San Diego’s Sempra
-
Milwaukee, WI30 minutes ago
Survey finds less than half of Jews in Milwaukee identify as Zionists | The Jerusalem Post
-
Atlanta, GA33 minutes agoAtlanta Hawks Showing Interest In Denver’s Peyton Watson, But Is The Price Too High?
-
Minneapolis, MN38 minutes agoUptown businesses push to delay Lyndale Avenue project
