Hawaii, 2006

Wildfire in Hawaii, August 27 to 30, 2006

August 27 to 30, 2006 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire on the northeast side of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii blackened 200 acres of brush less than a mile from Mana Road. For a time, the fire had threatened the habitat of a rare bird, the palila, which can only be found on the slopes of Mauna Kea, between elevations of 6000 to 9000 feet.

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 on the northeast side of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii blackened 200 acres of brush less than a mile from Mana Road. For a time, the fire had threatened the habitat of a rare bird, the palila, which can only be found on the slopes of Mauna Kea, between elevations of 6000 to 9000 feet. There were no reports of serious property damage or injuries. Fire department officials believe the blaze was ignited by lightning.

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 27, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 27, 4:00 AM HST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
400 AM HST SUN AUG 27 2006

.SYNOPSIS...
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TODAY
DUE TO THE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THUNDERSTORMS STARTED EARLY THIS
MORNING OVER THE SOUTHEAST PART OF BIG ISLAND. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW
THAT HAS PRODUCED THIS UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OFF TO
THE NORTHWEST BY MONDAY AND THEN TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN
LATE MONDAY OR TUESDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY BEST ILLUSTRATES THE RELATIVELY LARGE UPPER
LEVEL LOW ABOUT 200 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. IT WILL DIG A LITTLE
FARTHER SOUTHWARD BEFORE CHANGING DIRECTION AND SHIFTING NORTHWARD
TONIGHT AND MONDAY. PRESENTLY THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE OVER
THE BIG ISLAND AND THERE IS A GOOD FLOW OF MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH
SOUTHWEST DIRECTED TO THE BIG ISLAND. THIS WILL SHIFT WESTWARD
DURING THE DAY BUT MODELS SUGGEST SOME DECREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF
MOISTURE. HENCE GREATEST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS STILL EXPECTED OVER THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH THIS EVENING.
SOUNDING OVER KAUAI ALSO UNSTABLE AND THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL LINGER
NEAR KAUAI TODAY AND THEN ALSO SHIFT WESTWARD TONIGHT...SO FORECAST
OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FOR OTHER ISLANDS TODAY AND PERHAPS THIS
EVENING TOO. AN INCREASE IN CONVECTION OVER OTHER ISLANDS WILL BE
AIDED BY AFTERNOON HEATING. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT AND GENERALLY
FROM THE SOUTH.

LOCALIZED FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY FOR THE BIG ISLAND AND WILL BE
CLOSELY WATCHED. IMAGERY SUGGESTS SEPARATED EPISODES OF RELATIVELY
FAST MOVING CONVECTION TODAY.

SUPER TYPHOON IOKE IS NOW IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC AND JAPAN
METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY AS WELL AS NAVY ARE ISSUING BULLETINS.

&& PREVIOUS DISCUSSION
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT MODELS DO PULL UP SIGNIFICANT HIGH
LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE STATE MONDAY AND THEN SHIFT THAT MOISTURE
WEST OF KAUAI TUESDAY WHEN THE MOISTURE DEEPENS. THIS MOISTURE WILL
CAUSE PARTIALLY OBSCURED SKIES MONDAY AND PERHAPS TUESDAY BUT IT IS
NOT EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT SHOULD BE THE NORMAL TRADE SHOWER
DISTRIBUTION FORECAST TO RETURN LATE MONDAY.

&&

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

&&

HOAG

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Big Island North and East

When
August 27, 9:30 AM HST to August 30, 6:00 PM HST
Where
Big Island North and East forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

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 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2006

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: 5529000.