Hawaii, 2003

Wildfire in Hawaii, July 18 to 22, 2003

July 18 to 22, 2003 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire blackened 10,500 acres of grassland near South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii, forced the evacuation of eight homes, and destroyed a home under construction. Some livestock may also have been killed by the fire.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 wildfire blackened 10,500 acres of grassland near South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii, forced the evacuation of eight homes, and destroyed a home under construction. Some livestock may also have been killed by the fire. No damage estimates on the home or livestock were available, however. Civil defense officials also closed part of South Point Road at various times over a four-day period because of the blaze. Hawaii County firefighters battled the fire, and used two helicopters to drop water on the flames. There were no injuries. The cause of the brush fire was not known, but officials said that it was suspicious.

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 18, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 10:00 AM HST, 1 hour before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST FRI JUL 18 2003

SUMMARY...A MOIST WEEK END IS IN STORE FOR THE ISLANDS.

DISCUSSION...THE LEFTOVER SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH OLD TROPICAL STORM
ENRIQUE..WHICH DISSIPATED FIVE DAYS AGO..CONTINUES TO BE TRANSPORTED
IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW TOWARD THE ISLANDS. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE
SHOWERS IS 150 MILES EAST OF HILO AND SHOULD ARRIVE THERE THIS
EVENING..SPREADING TO MAUI COUNTY AND OAHU TOMORROW MORNING..AND
KAUAI TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE APPROACHING CLOUD PATTERN IS MORE
EXTENSIVE THAN THE TROPICAL REMNANTS OF LAST WEEK END AND SHOULD
PROVE TO BE MORE SHOWERY. DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN
MONDAY...GFS SKEWT MODELS PROJECT STABLE LOW TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS
RETURNING THEN. NO WEAKENING OF OUR CURRENT MODERATE TO FRESH
TRADE WIND SPEEDS IS EXPECTED AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE TO THE
NORTH SLOWLY GAINS STRENGTH FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.  MATSUDA

.HFO...WARNINGS...WATCHES...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 18, 11:00 AM HST to July 22, 6:00 PM HST
Where
Hawaii County, 11 mi SSW of Naalehu
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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 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: 5327699.