Wildfire in Hawaii, May 10 to 19, 2005

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, May 10 to 19, 2005
Start: 2005-05-10T12:30
End: 2005-05-19T18:00
Location: Hawaii

May 10 to 19, 2005 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

5 miles northeast of Nanakuli over a nine-day period. The fire had been intentionally set and, for a time, required as many as 22 of 42 engine companies from the Honolulu Fire Department to contain the blaze.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 scorched 3000 acres of mainly brush about 1.5 miles northeast of Nanakuli over a nine-day period. The fire had been intentionally set and, for a time, required as many as 22 of 42 engine companies from the Honolulu Fire Department to contain the blaze. Several helicopters were utilized throughout the event to dump water on the fire, which was partially burning in inaccessible locations. Flames had threatened some homes and rare native plants, and forced a few schools in Nanakuli to close over several days. The fire also snarled traffic and caused disruptions in residents' daily work schedules. Costs to fight the blaze were tremendous, with overtime and helicopter services alone running over $38 thousand. However, there were no serious injuries or property damage.

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 10, 9:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 9:00 AM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
900 AM HST TUE MAY 10 2005

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL MAINTAIN TRADE
WINDS THIS WEEK. A WEAK UPPER TROUGH WILL WEAKEN THE TRADES THROUGH
THURSDAY...ALLOWING LAND AND SEA BREEZES TO FORM. BUILDING HIGH
PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL STRENGTHEN THE TRADES OVER
THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. THOUGH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL
FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...AFTERNOON CLOUDINESS CAN BE
EXPECTED ACROSS LEEWARD AREAS THROUGH THURSDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
FOR THE SHORT TERM...THE PROBLEMS OF THE DAY ARE WINDS AND
AFTERNOON SHOWER THREATS. CURRENTLY FCST GRIDS PAINTING LIGHT TRADE
FLOW ACROSS THE STATE WITH MAINLY SEA BREEZES FOR KAUAI AND OAHU
THIS AFTERNOON. QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT MAUI AND MOLOKAI WILL GO
TO SEA BREEZES AS WELL. CURRENT FCST DOESNT HAVE THAT. MORNING ACARS
SOUNDINGS FROM HONOLULU AND KAHULUI DOES SEEM TO INDICATE SLIGHTLY
STRONGER LOW LEVEL TRADE FLOW OVER MAUI WHICH IF IT HOLDS WILL KEEP
SEA BREEZES AWAY. FOR WHAT ITS WORTH...WINDS AT KAHOOLAWE...UPOLU
AND SOUTH POINT ARE ALL DOWN ABOUT 5KTS FROM 24HRS AGO SO TRADES
ARE DEFINATELY DIMINISHING.

OTHER QUESTION IS AFTERNOON SHOWERS. BOTH LIH AND ITO 12Z SOUNDINGS
ARENT PARTICULARLY UNSTABLE...BUT THE TRADE WIND SUBSIDENCE
INVERSION IS A BIT HIGHER AND WEAKER THAN NORMAL THANKS TO A WEAK
UPPER LEVEL TROF OVERHEAD. IF THERE IS ANY LOW LEVEL FORCING - SUCH
AS A SEA BREEZE FRONT OR LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE THEN ITS POSSIBLE FOR
CONVECTION TO BUST UPWARD TO 15-20KFT RESULTING IN TOWERING CU AND A
NICE LITTLE DOWNPOUR UNDERNEATH. SEEING THOSE SHOWERS FORMING JUST
OFFSHORE KONA WITH THE CONVERGENCE IN THE BIG ISLAND PLUME THIS
MORNING IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL AND FEEL IT IS A SIGN OF THE SLIGHT
INSTABILITY. AT THIS TIME FEEL KONA SLOPES OF BIG ISLAND HAVE THE
BEST CHANCE OF SEEING DOWNPOURS THIS AFTERNOON.

CURRENT FCST GRIDS LOOK TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. WILL SEE HOW
WINDS GO LATER PER MESONET OBS THIS MORNING AND IF I NEED TO ADD IN
OR TAKE AWAY SEA BREEZES THEN WILL DO UPDATES AS NECESSARY.

&&

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

&&

NASH

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, Waianae Coast

When: May 10, 12:30 PM HST to May 19, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Waianae Coast forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, May 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: 5446172.