Wildfire in Hawaii, May 9, 2003

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, May 9, 2003
Start: 2003-05-09T13:50
End: 2003-05-09T17:30
Location: Hawaii

May 9, 2003 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire burned 70 acres of brush in Nanakuli on the western coast of Oahu. The blaze came within 50 feet of several homes, but the fire did no serious damage and caused no significant injuries.

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 wildfire burned 70 acres of brush in Nanakuli on the western coast of Oahu. The blaze came within 50 feet of several homes, but the fire did no serious damage and caused no significant injuries. Twenty fire companies and the Air One helicopter fought the blaze. The cause of the fire 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 May 9, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 50 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST FRI MAY 9 2003

SUMMARY...OUR TRADE WIND PATTERN WILL CONTINUE RIGHT THRU MOST OF
NEXT WEEK. SHOWERS BROUGHT IN BY THE TRADE WIND FLOW WILL BE BUT A
FEW...LARGELY WINDWARD AND MAUKA BASED.

DISCUSSION...THE INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH WEST OF THE ISLANDS WHICH
HAD HELD BACK THE RETURN OF TRADE WINDS HAS DISSIPATED. THE FULL
EFFECT OF THE RIDGE TO THE NORTH NOW BECOMES THE DOMINANT FEATURE FOR
LOCAL WEATHER...THE RESULTING MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS SHOULD
PERSIST THRU THE WEEK END INTO AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. ALTHO
THE GFS MODEL SHOWS THE CURRENT WEAKENED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
RESTRENGTHENING NEXT WEEK  WE WILL MAINTAIN THE CURRENT MARGINALLY
STRONG TRADE WINDS THRU THE ENTIRE FORECAST. WE AWAIT ADDITIONAL
MODEL RUNS BEFORE INSTITUTING THE POSSIBLE LIGHT WINDS WITH
AFTERNOON CONVECTION DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE
THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A STRONG ENHANCER
OF THE INCOMING TRADE MOISTURE AND MOSTLY ISOLATED SHOWER PATTERN.
MATSUDA

.HFO...WATCHES......NONE
.      WARNINGS.....NONE
.      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, Honolulu

When: May 9, 1:50 PM HST to 5:30 PM HST
Where: Honolulu County, Nanakuli
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5327587.