Reaching hurricane force as it buzzed the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday, August 15, now reduced to a tropical strom, Lala unleashed a strange and dramatic mix of conditions across the island chain. The storm pushed tropical swell onto exposed coastlines while hurricane-force winds, flooding, debris and coastal erosion made much of the ocean unsafe. And high above the surf, the same storm created an entirely different scene. On the Big Island, Lala’s combination of moisture and dramatically colder temperatures at elevation brought snow to the upper reaches of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, creating the surreal image of a tropical cyclone simultaneously producing dangerous surf at sea level and winter conditions on two of the world’s largest volcanoes. Powerful winds at Mauna Kea’s summit reportedly reached extreme speeds as the storm passed the island.…