Hawaii, 2003

Wildfire in Hawaii, July 6 to 10, 2003

July 6 to 10, 2003 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A brush fire burned about 2500 acres of pasture land and gulches in Kahikinui on the south-facing slopes of Haleakala in East Maui. State forestry officials said the blaze did not burn into a nearby forest reserve, but they did say that stands of koa and other native plants in the gulches were damaged.

Where it happened

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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 brush fire burned about 2500 acres of pasture land and gulches in Kahikinui on the south-facing slopes of Haleakala in East Maui. State forestry officials said the blaze did not burn into a nearby forest reserve, but they did say that stands of koa and other native plants in the gulches were damaged. The fire did not threaten homes or other structures. Maui County firefighters, with help from state and Haleakala National Park specialists, battled the blaze. Assistance was also provided by Ulupalakua Ranch workers, heavy equipment operators from Goodfellow Brothers, and state highway workers. To help contain the blaze, county officials also used three helicopters to drop water on the fire. There were no serious injuries or property damage. 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 6, 4:00 PM HST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 4:00 PM HST, 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
4 PM HST SUN JUL 6 2003

SUMMARY...HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED FAR NORTH OF HAWAII WILL SUSTAIN
MODERATE TRADE WINDS THE NEXT FEW DAYS. TRADE SHOWERS WILL BE MOST
NUMEROUS ON THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE BIG ISLAND. OTHERWISE...SKIES
WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR.

DISCUSSION...A SURFACE HIGH CENTERED NORTH OF HAWAII NEAR 42N 155W
WILL MOVE WEST TO NEAR 43N 164W BY TUESDAY. IT WILL EVENTUALLY END
UP STATIONARY NEAR 170W. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SOUTH OF THE HIGH
WILL BE STEEP ENOUGH TO GIVE US 10 TO 25 MPH TRADES THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.

SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE HIGH TO THE NORTH AND AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DIRECTLY OVER THE STATE WILL KEEP MOST LOCATIONS
DRY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THAT SAID...SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN AREA
OF SHOWER-BEARING CLOUDS THAT WILL WET THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE BIG
ISLAND TONIGHT AND MONDAY.

THE UPPER RIDGE WILL ALSO MOVE TO THE WEST...TO BE REPLACED BY A
WEAK TROUGH EXTENDING FROM AN UPPER LEVEL LOW NORTHEAST OF HERE. THE
TROUGH WILL SLACKEN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT CAUSING A SLIGHT DROP IN
THE TRADE WINDS. IT MAY ALSO RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AS WITH THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SYSTEMS...THE
UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE TO THE WEST AND BE REPLACE BY YET ANOTHER DRY
RIDGE SATURDAY. CRAIG.

.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, Maui

When
July 6, 4:30 PM HST to July 10, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Maui County, 9 mi ESE of Ulupalakua
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
20.868, -156.617 (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: 5327697.