Hawaii, 2005

Wildfire in Hawaii, August 14 to 18, 2005

August 14 to 18, 2005 · NWS HFO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A blaze that scorched 2850 acres of mainly brush threatened homes, and closed schools and roads for a time, in leeward parts of Oahu. Some residents in and around Nanakuli left their homes voluntarily because of thick smoke in some neighborhoods.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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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  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 blaze that scorched 2850 acres of mainly brush threatened homes, and closed schools and roads for a time, in leeward parts of Oahu. Some residents in and around Nanakuli left their homes voluntarily because of thick smoke in some neighborhoods. No serious injuries or property damage were reported. The fire may have started as a result of arcing along power lines.

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 Aug 14, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST SUN AUG 14 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
TRADE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO MODERATE LEVELS OVER THE
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS THE RIDGE SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF THE
ISLANDS RETREATS NORTHWARD AND STRENGTHENS. TODAY WILL BE RATHER DRY
WITH ABUNDANT LEEWARD SUNSHINE. STRONGER TRADES WILL BRING A SLIGHT
INCREASE IN SHOWERS FOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS FOR THE WORK WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
TRADE WIND SPEEDS WILL SLOWLY INCREASE TO MODERATE LEVELS DURING
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE RIDGE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRADE WINDS
HAD BEEN DEPRESSED TO AS CLOSE AS 200 MILES NORTH OF HONOLULU DURING
THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...BUT IT IS NOW MOVING NORTH AND ALLOWING
THE STRONGER TRADES TO BUILD BACK IN OVER THE STATE. THE RIDGE WILL
BECOME ESTABLISHED JUST NORTH OF 30N BY TUESDAY AND PERSIST BETWEEN
30N AND 35N THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND WITH ONLY MINOR FLUCTUATIONS IN
INTENSITY. THIS WILL TRANSLATE INTO MODERATE TRADES THROUGH AT LEAST
THE END OF THE WORK WEEK.

IT WILL BE A RATHER DRY DAY TODAY AS THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE MAIN
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IS QUITE STABLE. OVERNIGHT SOUNDINGS FROM LIHUE AND
HILO DETECTED THE BASE OF THE SUBSIDENCE INVERSION NEAR 6500 FEET.
AS A RESULT...CLOUDS NEAR THE STATE THIS MORNING ARE A MIX OF
STABLE STRATOCUMULUS WITH ISOLATED...EMBEDDED...LIGHT SHOWERS. A
PATCH OF THESE CLOUDS AFFECTED WINDWARD KAUAI OVERNIGHT AND THIS
MORNING AND HAS PRODUCED LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH OF RAINFALL
AT MOST GAGES DURING THE PAST SIX HOURS.

TODAY/S RATHER DRY CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO A SLIGHTLY WETTER
PATTERN OF TYPICAL TRADE WEATHER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THIS
TRANSITION WILL BE AIDED BY AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT IS FORECAST
TO DEVELOP JUST WEST OF THE ISLANDS BY THE GFS...UKMET...AND NOGAPS
ON MONDAY NIGHT. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL RAISE THE SUBSIDENCE
INVERSION AND ALLOW A RETURN TO A TYPICAL PATTERN OF WINDWARD AND
MAUKA SHOWERS. THIS UPPER TROUGH WILL LINGER WEST OF THE STATE
THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.

THE LONG TERM FORECAST HINGES ON THE FUTURE POSITION AND INTENSITY
OF CURRENT TROPICAL STORM FERNANDA...WHICH IS LOCATED ABOUT 1600
MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILO. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST HAS THE SYSTEM
ON A WESTWARD PATH SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND
DURING THE WEEKEND. GIVEN THIS SCENARIO...WE WILL HOLD OFF ON
CHANGES TO THE POP FORECAST AND WILL BOOST THE TRADE WINDS UP A
NOTCH FOR NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

WROE

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Oahu South Shore

When
August 14, 1:30 PM HST to August 18, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Oahu South Shore forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Wildfire, Waianae Coast

When
August 14, 1:30 PM HST to August 18, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Waianae Coast forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wildfire, Wainae Mountains

When
August 14, 1:30 PM HST to August 18, 3:00 PM HST
Where
Wainae Mountains forecast zone
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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2005

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: 5469484, 5469485, 5469486.