Wildfire, Hawaii
- When
- May 18, 10:30 AM HST to 6:35 PM HST
- Where
- Hawaii County, 9 mi SW of Kamuela
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, May 18, 2003
A fire burned 400 acres in Waikoloa Village in the South Kohala District on the Big Island of Hawaii. About 50 homes were evacuated in the town, but, in the end, the blaze caused only minor smoke and heat damage to a couple of dwellings.
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 400 acres in Waikoloa Village in the South Kohala District on the Big Island of Hawaii. About 50 homes were evacuated in the town, but, in the end, the blaze caused only minor smoke and heat damage to a couple of dwellings. The flames came within 100 feet of houses and an elementary school. The fire scene was unusually dangerous because of the presence of World War II-era unexploded ordnance. Nine fire companies fought the blaze; along with Army personnel from the Pohakuloa Training area, three helicopters, and three bulldozers. No serious injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remained 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 May 18, 10:00 AM HST, 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 10:00 AM HST, 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 10 AM HST SUN MAY 18 2003 CHANGED THE WORD PREPARATION TO PREPAREDNESS SUMMARY...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL SUPPLY MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THE TRADE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AROUND MIDWEEK AS THE RIDGE DRIFTS SOUTHWARD CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS ON KAUAI THIS EARLY MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES LATER THIS FORENOON AND CONTINUING THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WILL BE THE RULE WITH ONLY AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO. DISCUSSION...A HIGH PRESSURE CELL OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST HAS A RIDGE EXTENDING SOUTHWEST AND WESTWARD ROUGHLY ALONG 30N TO THE NORTH OF HAWAII. THE RIDGE WILL BE SLOWLY DEPRESSED SOUTHWARD AND WEAKENED BY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS OVER THE NORTHERN LATITUDES. AS A RESULT THE STRENGTH OF THE TRADES WILL BE DIMINISHING AS THE WEEK WEARS ON. ALSO AS A RESULT OF THE RIDGE COMING CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS...THE TRADE SHOWERS SHOULD BE DIMINISHING WITH TIME. WITH RESPECT TO SHOWERS...ONE AREA OF SHOWERS IS PRESENTLY LOCATED OVER KAUAI AND THE WATERS WEST OF THE GARDEN ISLE. THESE SHOWERS WILL MOVE WEST AWAY FROM THE ISLANDS DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS ORIENTED NW/SE IS LOCATED ABOUT 250 MILES EAST OF THE ISLANDS TO COME IN AND GIVE US A FEW SHOWERS TONIGHT. OTHERWISE THE UPCOMING WEEK TO 10 DAYS SHOULD FEATURE MOSTLY SUNNY AND DRY WEATHER WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADES. THIS NEW WEEK IS HURRICANE AWARENESS WEEK TO HIGHLIGHT HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS. OUR HURRICANE SEASON RUNS FROM JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER. AS IF ON CUE...THE TROPICS WILL BE GETTING ACTIVE THE NEXT FEW DAYS NOT IN OUR AREA BUT OVER THE EXTREME EASTERN AND WESTERN PACIFIC WHERE PERMANENTLY WARM WATER IS PRESENT. THIS IS PERHAPS EVEN A LITTLE EARLY BUT CERTAINLY NOT UNUSUAL FOR THESE AREAS...NAMELY THE AREA SOUTH OF MEXICO...AND OVER THE WESTERN PACIFIC AREAS WITHIN THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA FROM SOUTH OF GUAM WESTWARD TO THE PHILIPPINES. OUR PORTION OF THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC HOWEVER WILL REMAIN QUIET. ROSENDAL .HFO...WATCHES......NONE . WARNINGS.....NONE . ADVISORIES...SMALL CRAFT ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS
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
- High Surf in New York, May 18, 2003
- Flash Flood in Alabama, May 18, 2003
- Flash Flood in Alabama, May 18, 2003
- Winter Storm in Montana, May 18, 2003
- Flooding in Virginia, May 18 to 21, 2003
- Frost and Freeze in Vermont, May 18, 2003
- Frost and Freeze in Massachusetts, May 18, 2003
- Frost and Freeze in New York, May 18, 2003
- Frost and Freeze in Connecticut, May 18, 2003
- Hail in Colorado, May 18, 2003
- Flood in Alabama, May 18 to 27, 2003
- Flood in Alabama, May 18 to 19, 2003
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, May 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: 5327588.