Hawaii wedding washed away as giant waves hit islands

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - Huge waves submerged homes, streets, and even a wedding party near the coast in parts of Hawaii over the weekend.

A giant wave crashing over a two-story building in Hawaii.
A giant wave crashing over a two-story building in Hawaii.  © Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/7@KJHess60

An estimated 25-foot-high wave was sighted off the island of Oahu on Sunday, along with other huge tides, the National Weather Service announced on Monday.

Videos on social media showed gigantic waves lapping over two-story houses, flooding streets and causing serious damage.

Emergency services were reportedly called in to conduct hundreds of operations.

In Kailua-Kona on the main island of Hawaii, the heavy surf disrupted the wedding of a young couple. The waves washed away the tables just as the ceremony was set to begin. The newlyweds told local media that the food and the wedding cake were spared.

"It just was huge," a wedding guest told the Guardian. "I was filming it and then it just came over the wall and just completely annihilated all the tables and chairs."

The southern coast of the island hasn't seen such high waves for 25 years, according to Chris Brenchley, the head meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Hawaii. Among the causes of the phenomenon was a particularly strong storm in the Pacific.

The guests of a wedding party witnessed a huge wave washing away tables and chairs.
The guests of a wedding party witnessed a huge wave washing away tables and chairs.  © Screenshot Twitter/@254_first

But climate change is also playing its part. "Any time you add just even small amounts of water, you raise that sea level just a little bit," Brenchley said. "And now those impacts will be exacerbated whenever we have a large storm event or a ... high, high tide."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/7@KJHess60

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