A few states have experienced severe winter storms that have caused havoc and a significant amount of power outages. According to poweroutages.us, as many as 4,207 electric utility customers are without power in Hawaii, 6,339 in Minnesota, and 4,235 in New York.

In Hawaii today a strong winter storm is effecting Oahu’s Waikiki Beach through the highest peaks and bashing the Hawaiian Islands causing dangerous flash floods, landslides, and broken tree limbs.

Weather officials have warned that slow-moving thunderstorms, high winds and heavy rains could last into Wednesday. Governor David Ige announced a state of emergency for all of the Hawaiian Islands on Monday night.

Today, December 7^th, marks the 80^th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and, according to authorities managing the celebration, the event is planned to go on despite the weather.

The National Weather Service predicts, “catastrophic flooding” as a result of the rain during the next few days. A low-pressure system is slowly moving from east to west and lingering on the edge of the Hawaiian archipelago. Power outages have occurred across the Islands.

Four shelters have been opened on the Island of Oahu to accommodate those who had to flee their homes. Most of the beaches in Waikiki were empty on Monday. Roadways were flooding in the area and water seeped through manhole covers.

On Maui, flooding and power outages have been reported. More than a foot of rain has fallen in some areas. Some areas south of Hilo were drenched with heavy rain over the weekend, according to the weather service.

All islands continue to be threatened with flash floods, lightning strikes, landslides, and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Oahu and Kauai could get the worst of the storm on Monday and Tuesday.

The winter weather system known as a “Kona low” caused emergency alerts through the weekend and bashed the area with strong winds, rain and even blizzard conditions in the highest elevation of the Hawaii Islands.

The Kona low is a low-pressure system that commonly forms near Hawaii during the winter months. According to the Weather Service, it has some unique meteorological traits that include a large amount of tropical moisture that gets drawn up from equatorial regions. The low usually moves slowly causing heavy rain and thundershowers to concentrate over an area for a long period of time. They also cause strong to damaging winds.

Snow is reported in the summit of Mauna Kea, which is not rare at this time of the year. Weather authorities reported 8-inches of snow on the road below the top of Mauna Kea. A foot of snow has been forecasted for the mountain’s peak.

Winds gusting up to 90 mph were reported on top Mauna Kea.

Strong winds above 50-mph were reported in lower elevations across the state.

Meanwhile the National Weather Service in Albany, New York warned that wind gusts could reach 40 to 50 mph on Monday and move through the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, and other parts of eastern upstate New York.

Nearly 1,600 National Grid customers were without power on Monday evening due to heavy wind and rain. The rain and winds were expected to continue into early Tuesday morning.

In parts of northern Minnesota there have been reports of more than a foot of snow from a winter storm that entered the region during the weekend. The highest snow measurements reported in Duluth was more than 20 inches. According to the Weather Service, 18 inches of snow has blanketed Golden Eagle Lodge off the Gunflint Trail about 20 miles north of Grand Marais.

Other top snow levels of more than 17 inches were reported west of Grand Marais, 16 inches were witnessed at Finland and Chisholm and 14 inches blanket several areas including Hibbing, Bemidjii, Lutsen, Wales and Solway.

Snow levels ranging in depth of 1 inch up to 20 inches were reported throughout the state.

Whether you live in a big city or a small rural town, anywhere in the United States is susceptible to severe weather that can cause major power outages. Regardless of where you live you may need a standalone generator to make it through. APElectric offers a wide assortment of generators made by some of the most popular manufacturers in the country. For more information visit the APElectric website or call (847) 516-8882.