Wild weather expected to persist

HILO » After covering the tops of Hawaii's highest mountains with snow and dumping lots of rain in parts of Maui and East Hawaii Tuesday, the weather has begun to improve, but only slightly.

The road to the summit of Mauna Kea was open yesterday, and small patches of blue could be seen in the sky, but the Mauna Kea Weather Center warned astronomers to expect "bad" to "horrible" viewing conditions for several days.

On Maui the road to the summit of Haleakala remained closed to the general public. Haleakala National Park spokesman Dominic Cardea said a decision would be made this morning about possibly opening the road today.

After several days of not sailing, the Hawaii Superferry continues to remain in port today, but the company announced it plans to return to service tomorrow. Updates are available at the company Web site, www.HawaiiSuperferry.com.

Central Maui was forecast to be partly sunny for the next few days, but windward Haleakala, including Makawao and Hana, can expect clouds and showers until Monday, the National Weather Service said.