Hawaii, 2002

Wildfire in Hawaii, July 4 to 5, 2002

July 4 to 5, 2002 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A brushfire scorched more than 100 acres in the central coastal section of the Puna District on the island of Hawaii. The blaze, whose cause was not known, started near Railroad Avenue along the coast and burned from Hawaiian Beaches toward Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Floods
  • Wind
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  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A brushfire scorched more than 100 acres in the central coastal section of the Puna District on the island of Hawaii. The blaze, whose cause was not known, started near Railroad Avenue along the coast and burned from Hawaiian Beaches toward Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. The county used its helicopters to dump water on the fire because of its relative inaccessibility. However, there were no reports of serious property damage or injuries.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 4, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST THU JUL 4 2002

SUMMARY...MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE...AS HIGH
PRESSURE REMAINS STRONG TO OUR NORTH. EXPECT MORE THAN NORMAL
CLOUDS...BUT MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS. AS IT IS ACCUSTOMED TO DOING...
THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE BIG ISLAND WILL BE WETTER THAN ELSEWHERE.

DISCUSSION...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW...SITUATED JUST WEST OF HAWAII...
WILL SPIN IN PLACE THEN DRIFT WEST THIS WEEKEND. HIGH CIRRUS CLOUDS
WRAPPING COUNTERCLOCKWISE AROUND THE LOW WILL MAKE FOR MORE CLOUDY
SKIES THAN NORMAL INTO THE WEEKEND. THE LOW WILL BE HIGH ENOUGH IN
THE ATMOSPHERE SUCH THAT IT WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON THE TRADE FLOW
BENEATH IT. BECAUSE OF THIS DISCONNECT...THERE SHOULD NOT BE AN
INCREASE NUMBER OR INTENSITY OF TRADE SHOWERS. SPEAKING OF TRADE
WINDS...A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE... SITUATED FAR NORTH OF HAWAII...WILL
SUPPORT TRADES AT 10 TO 25 MPH INTO THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. CRAIG.

.HFO...WARNINGS.....NONE
.      WATCHES......NONE
.      ADVISORIES...NONE

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Hawaii

When
July 4, 11:30 AM HST to July 5, 7:30 AM HST
Where
Hawaii County, 7 mi N of Pahoa
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5304192.