Wildfire, Kohala
- When
- June 14, 1:00 PM HST to 10:00 PM HST
- Where
- Kohala forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, June 14, 2005
A fire that burned about 100 acres of brush near Kawaihae on the Big Island of Hawaii snarled traffic for much of the afternoon and evening hours. The blaze forced county officials to close Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
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 that burned about 100 acres of brush near Kawaihae on the Big Island of Hawaii snarled traffic for much of the afternoon and evening hours. The blaze forced county officials to close Queen Kaahumanu Highway. This is turn led to major traffic backups on both Mamalahoa Highway and Waikoloa Road. Vehicles were lined up for over five miles at times during the day. However, there were no serious injuries or property damage reported. 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 Jun 14, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 14, 10:00 AM HST, 3 hours before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1000 AM HST TUE JUN 14 2005 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH WILL KEEP LOCALLY BREEZY TRADE WINDS BLOWING OVER THE ISLANDS. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN STABLE...SO RAINFALL WILL BE LIMITED. SOUTH SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL IN...WITH SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES PEAKING THURSDAY EVENING AND SUNDAY MORNING. && .SHORT TERM... SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS MOVING OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IN THE TRADE-WIND FLOW. THE CLOUDS UPSTREAM OF THE ISLANDS ARE ARRANGED IN ALTERNATING WEST NORTHWEST TO EAST SOUTHEAST BANDS. BANDS OF MIXED STRATOCUMULUS AND SHOWERY CUMULUS ARE SEPARATED BY BANDS OF VERY STABLE STRATOCUMULUS WITH LITTLE CUMULUS MIXED IN. ONE OF THE MORE SHOWERY BANDS IS NOW OVER THE ISLANDS. RADARS SHOW ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS FALLING FROM THESE CLOUDS. A BAND OF MORE STABLE CLOUDS IS JUST UPSTREAM OF THE BIG ISLAND...SO SHOWERS ARE LIKELY TO DECREASE LATER TODAY. THE NEXT BAND OF MORE SHOWERY LOW CLOUDS IS ABOUT 500 MILES UPSTREAM OF THE BIG ISLAND. THOSE CLOUDS WILL REACH THE BIG ISLAND TOMORROW MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH IS MAINTAINING A STRONG ENOUGH GRADIENT OVER THE ISLANDS TO KEEP TRADE WINDS AT 10 TO 20 MPH WITH 25 MPH SPEEDS OVER WINDY SPOTS LIKE SOUTH POINT AND UPOLU POINT. && .LONG TERM... THE COMPUTER MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT OVER THE NEXT WEEK SHOWING LITTLE CHANGE IN THE SURFACE PATTERN...WITH HIGH PRESSURE REMAINING TO THE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS. THE MODELS SHOW A GRADUAL SHIFT ALOFT. AN UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONE ABOUT 500 MILES NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL SLOWLY MOVE FARTHER NORTH. AS THE ANTICYCLONE SHIFTS NORTH...AN EAST NORTHEAST TO WEST SOUTHWEST TROUGH WILL DEVELOP NEAR THE ISLANDS THURSDAY AND SHIFT NORTH OF THE ISLANDS BY SATURDAY. THESE DEVELOPMENTS WILL NOT PRODUCE ANY MAJOR CHANGES IN ISLAND WEATHER...BUT MAY RESULT IN THE TRADE WINDS BECOMING LESS BREEZY AND THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMING LESS STABLE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... WINDS SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND WILL REMAIN NEAR 25 MPH SO SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL REMAIN POSTED FOR THAT AREA. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WATERS SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND. && DONALDSON
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
- Flood and Hail in Kentucky, June 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, June 14, 2005
- Flooding and Hail in Ohio, June 14, 2005
- Lightning Strike in New Hampshire, June 14, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, June 14, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, June 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, June 14, 2005
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, June 14, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 14, 2005
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, June 14, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, June 14, 2005
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, June 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: 5458096.