Wildfire, Maui Leeward West
- When
- July 12, 6:45 PM HST to July 15, 7:30 AM HST
- Where
- Maui Leeward West forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 21.027, -156.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, July 12 to 15, 2005
A wildfire upslope from Lahainaluna High School in leeward West Maui was of unknown origin and burned over two and a half days. The fire scorched 120 acres of brush and grass land, but for a time threatened native plants and bird habitats.
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 wildfire upslope from Lahainaluna High School in leeward West Maui was of unknown origin and burned over two and a half days. The fire scorched 120 acres of brush and grass land, but for a time threatened native plants and bird habitats. However, no serious injuries or property damage were reported after the blaze was extinguished.
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 12, 4:00 PM HST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 4:00 PM HST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 400 PM HST TUE JUL 12 2005 .SYNOPSIS... WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE SHOWERS THROUGH THE WORK WEEK...WITH SOME SHOWERS SPREADING TO LEEWARD AREAS. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY AS THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE STATE WILL MAINTAIN MODERATE TRADE WINDS THROUGH THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... THE BANDS OF CLOUDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS THAT IMPACTED THE ISLANDS THIS MORNING HAVE CLEARED THE STATE. THE MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS WILL BE OVER THE KONA SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY THIS EVENING AS ANOTHER...MUCH WEAKER BAND OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS MOVES IN. RELATIVELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER THE STATE MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS IN THIS CLOUD BAND. IN ADDITION...MODERATE TRADE WINDS WILL SPREAD SOME OF THESE SHOWERS TO LEEWARD AREAS OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS. A NEARLY STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CENTERED ABOUT 400 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI HAS CREATED THE MODERATELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER THE STATE. THE SUBSIDENCE INVERSION WAS RATHER WEAK AND WAS ELEVATED NEAR 16000 FEET. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE LITTLE THROUGH THE WORK WEEK...SO EXPECT THE PATTERN OF ENHANCED WINDWARD AND MAUKA SHOWERS TO CONTINUE. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS FORMING ALONG THE LEEWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND EACH AFTERNOON MAY BECOME LOCALLY HEAVY. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY STABLE DURING THE WEEKEND AS RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS OVER THE STATE FROM THE EAST. THEREFORE... EXPECT SLIGHTLY DRIER TRADE WIND WEATHER DURING THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. TRADE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS TO THE NORTH. MODERATE TO LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...EASING SLIGHTLY TO MODERATE LEVELS FOR FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND AS A WEAKNESS DEVELOPS ALONG THE RIDGE TO OUR NORTH. TRADES WILL RETURN TO MODERATE TO LOCALLY BREEZY LEVELS BY MONDAY OR TUESDAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS...BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS...AND MAALAEA BAY. && WROE
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
- Heat in Arizona, July 12 to 21, 2005
- Flash Flood in Puerto Rico, July 12, 2005
- Heat in Utah, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Texas, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Wind in New York, July 12, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Winds in New York, July 12 to 13, 2005
- Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 12, 2005
- Flash Flood in Georgia, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, July 12, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Texas, July 12, 2005
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 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: 5465194.