Wildfire, Hawaii
- When
- February 20, 5:30 AM HST to 4:00 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, 9 mi W of Kamuela
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, February 20, 2003
A fire burned about 100 acres between Highway 19, Spencer Park, and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in leeward Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. The blaze caused no serious injuries or property damage, but fire officials did close Spencer Park on the 21st and 22nd as a precaution just in case the fire reignited.
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 fire burned about 100 acres between Highway 19, Spencer Park, and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in leeward Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. The blaze caused no serious injuries or property damage, but fire officials did close Spencer Park on the 21st and 22nd as a precaution just in case the fire reignited. The cause of the blaze was unknown.
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 Feb 20, 4:50 AM HST, 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 4:50 AM HST, 40 minutes before
NARRATIVE SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION FOR WAKE ISLAND ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT... SWELL FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL DIMINISH GRADUALLY FROM 8 TO 10 FEET TO 7 TO 9 FEET OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PLEASE REFER TO FZPQ70 PGUM FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED TO THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF WAKE WILL KEEP A PREVAILING WIND BLOWING FROM THE EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE ISLAND THROUGH THE PERIOD. OTHERWISE...SCATTERED CUMULUS CLOUDS EMBEDDED IN THE WIND FLOW WILL KEEP SKIES OVER WAKE PARTLY CLOUDY WITH ONLY PASSING LIGHT SHOWERS.
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
- Lightning Strike in Texas, February 20, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Texas, February 20, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, February 20 to 21, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Texas, February 20, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Texas, February 20, 2003
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, February 20 to 23, 2003
- Winter Storm in Idaho, February 20 to 23, 2003
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 20 to 21, 2003
- Hail in Texas, February 20, 2003
- Flooding in West Virginia, February 20 to 23, 2003
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, February 20 to 21, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 20 to 21, 2003
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2003
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: 5329308.