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Hot Shots: Tropical snow, shaky landing, late-season tornadoes

Highlighting images in transportation, trucking and weather

(Photo: Shutterstock, Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Every Friday, FreightWaves takes a look at the past week or so in social media, highlighting images in trucking, transportation and weather. This week features heavy mountain snow in Hawaii, a descending airplane battling crosswinds and two late-season Southern tornadoes.

Trouble in paradise

Earlier this week, a strong storm dumped an estimated 6 to 10 inches of snow in the summits of the Big Island. This isn’t unusual, as many mountains in the Aloha State remain snowcapped most of the year. What people may think was more unusual was the blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service, anticipating 100-mph wind gusts. But, according to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, the NWS posts an average of one blizzard warning in Hawaii every two years. In fact, gusts peaked at 105 mph.

The storm also drowned Honolulu with rainfall of 7.92 inches Monday, a new Dec. 6 record. The NWS also said it was also the wettest December day on record for Honolulu, surpassing the previous single-day December record of 7.89 inches on Dec. 12, 1987. Three-day rain totals, Sunday through Tuesday, ranged from 10 to nearly 15 inches in many places, leading to major floods.

It takes a steady hand

An Aerolineas Argentinas pilot had a bit of trouble landing his Airbus A340 the other day. Strong winds made for a shaky approach to the Ushuaia Airport in far southern Argentina.


According to airport observations, peak gusts exceeded 50 mph during the late-morning hours Tuesday. But the pilot seemed to make it to the ground with ease while at least one nervous person shot the landing on Twitter.

December destruction

Two late-season tornadoes tore through northern Kentucky before dawn Monday morning. They touched down in the Frankfort area, flipping mobile homes, snapping trees and damaging barns. The NWS rated each an EF-1 on the Fujita scale, with estimated maximum winds of 90 to 95 mph.

The NWS reported two injuries related to one of the storms but no deaths from either one. Spring is the primary severe weather season in the South, with a secondary season in early and mid-autumn. However, Monday’s tornadoes were a reminder that they can happen any time of year.

Beauty shot

This week’s beauty shot features a 360-degree rainbow seen from a plane somewhere over the United Kingdom. Though it’s pretty difficult to see one, 360-degree rainbows aren’t rare. In its total form, a rainbow truly never ends. From the ground, it’s nearly impossible to see the full, colorful circle of refracted light. Flying above them gives us the advantage of a full view.


Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.

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Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.