Wildfire, Honolulu
- When
- September 28, 2:30 PM HST to September 30, 9:00 PM HST
- Where
- Honolulu County, Honolulu
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, September 28 to 30, 2002
A brush fire burned almost 60 acres over several days in Kalihi Valley, above Kalihi Elementary School. At times, the fire threatened several homes and the school.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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 brush fire burned almost 60 acres over several days in Kalihi Valley, above Kalihi Elementary School. At times, the fire threatened several homes and the school. The Honolulu Fire Department used its Air One helicopter in helping to battle the fire because parts of the blaze were inaccessible by land. In the end, no serious property damage or injuries were reported. Fire officials were suspicious that the fire was deliberately set.
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 Sep 28, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 28, 10:00 AM HST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST SAT SEP 28 2002 SUMMARY...LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS AND AFTERNOON CLOUDS WILL GIVE WAY TO LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND ISOLATED NIGHT AND MORNING SHOWERS. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD NORTH OF HAWAII RESULTING IN THE RETURN OF THE TRADES. DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE. DISCUSSION...THE SATELLITE MOVIE LOOP SHOWS A LOW APPROXIMATELY 650 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF KAUAI MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTH. PRESSURE RISES OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS OF ABOUT 1 MILLIBAR PROBABLY REFLECT THE DEPARTURE OF THE LOW AND THE GRADUAL BUILDING OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THE NORTH. CLOUD MOVEMENT INDICATES THAT TRADE WINDS HAVE RETURNED TO THE BIG ISLAND AND ARE SLOWLY WORKING THEIR WAY WEST ACROSS MAUI COUNTY. LOW LEVEL WINDS AROUND KAUAI ARE OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST...THE RESULT OF A TROUGH AND FRONT LOCATED ABOUT 120 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST. THE TWO FEATURES ARE THE SOUTHERN EXTENSION OF THE LOW. THE TRADES ARE NOT VERY STRONG...SO AM ANTICIPATING LOCAL SEA BREEZES THIS AFTERNOON. PROGS...WHICH HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THE SITUATION...LIFT THE LOW NORTH AND BUILD THE RIDGE WEST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE TRADES WILL THEREFORE REACH A MODERATE 10 TO 20 MPH SUNDAY AND CONTINUE IN THAT RANGE THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THE NORTH SWELL GENERATED BY THE LOW WILL PERSIST...PUTTING 6 TO 10 FOOT SURF ALONG OUR NORTH SHORES THROUGH SUNDAY. CRAIG. .HFO...WARNINGS...WATCHES...ADVISORIES...NONE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
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, September 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: 5324939.