Hawaii, 2003

Wildfire in Hawaii, July 19, 2003

July 19, 2003 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A fire burned 640 acres of brush and grassland; and abandoned cars, rubbish and other debris; just north of Kealia Road near an old airstrip in northeast Kauai. No homes or other structures were threatened by the fire, and there were no serious injuries.

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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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 640 acres of brush and grassland; and abandoned cars, rubbish and other debris; just north of Kealia Road near an old airstrip in northeast Kauai. No homes or other structures were threatened by the fire, and there were no serious injuries. Kauai County firefighters contained the blaze, along with help from two helicopters from Interisland Helicopters that dropped water on the fire. The cause of the blaze was not known.

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 19, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST SAT JUL 19 2003

SUMMARY...MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANT CIRCULATION OF TROPICAL STORM
ENRIQUE IS MOVING WEST ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BRINGING
SHOWERS AND HUMID CONDITIONS.  DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN LATER ON
SUNDAY.

DISCUSSION...AN AREA OF MOISTURE AND SHOWERS WHICH IS THE LEFT OVER
MOISTURE FROM ENRIQUE IS LOCATED FROM MAUI COUNTY NORTHEASTWARD FOR
SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES. THIS AREA IS ROUGHLY IN THE FORM OF A LINE
WHICH IS MOVING WESTWARD TOWARD OAHU AND LATER KAUAI. THE HEAVIEST
MOISTURE WILL LIKELY PASS NORTH OF THE CHAIN THOUGH THE WESTERN
ISLANDS SHOULD NOT BE BYPASSED COMPLETELY. A FEW BUILDUPS AND SMALL
CB ARE PRESENT WITHIN THE HEAVIEST MOISTURE SO THERE COULD BE SOME
LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AROUND. THE REMNANT OF ENRIQUE WILL CLEAR THE
ISLANDS ON SUNDAY AND DRIER TRADEWIND WEATHER
WILL RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT.

DRIER TRADEWIND WEATHER SHOULD CONTINUE MOST OF NEXT WEEK. THE
REMNANT OF TROPICAL STORM FELICIA MAY REACH THE ISLANDS NEXT WEEKEND
BUT IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL.
ROSENDAL

.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, Kauai

When
July 19, 12:30 PM HST to 8:30 PM HST
Where
Kauai County, 3 mi WSW of Anahola
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (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: 5327700.