Wildfire, Kohala
- When
- March 17, 5:00 PM HST to March 20, 2:00 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, March 17 to 20, 2008
A fire, believed to have been ignited by lightning, scorched 600 acres of grassland in the Keamuku lava flow in South Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. The blaze was centered about 4 miles southeast of Waikoloa Village.
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, believed to have been ignited by lightning, scorched 600 acres of grassland in the Keamuku lava flow in South Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. The blaze was centered about 4 miles southeast of Waikoloa Village. The fire burned through fountain grass over inaccessible terrain, though it did not threaten endangered plants. There were no significant 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 Mar 17, 3:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 3:30 PM HST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 330 PM HST MON MAR 17 2008 .SYNOPSIS... MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE ISLANDS TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY WILL KEEP CONDITIONS WET...ESPECIALLY IN WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. THE TRADES WILL FRESHEN ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BRINGING IN A SLIGHTLY DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS. && .DISCUSSION... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON. WHILE BRIEF HEAVY RAINS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED...THE MODERATE TRADE FLOW HAS THUS FAR BEEN KEPT THE SHOWERS MOVING WITH TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS BELOW ONE INCH IN MOST REPORTING LOCATIONS. THE WETTEST SPOTS HAVE BEEN WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. THE WEST MAUI MOUNTAINS AT PUU KUKUI RAIN GAGE HAS 1.63 INCHES WITH 0.72 OF AN INCH JUST IN THE PAST FEW HOURS. OTHER MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE AND 2.5 INCHES IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. THE WET TRADE WIND PATTERN CONTINUES TONIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. THE REMNANTS OF WEAK UPPER LOW CURRENTLY SITUATED EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE WESTWARD ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY. THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES OVER THE COASTAL WATERS NORTHEAST OF THE ISLANDS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY IN THE AREA OF GREATEST INSTABILITY AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE. EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ON THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI WITH CB CLOUD TOPS CURRENTLY PUNCHING UP OVER 35K FEET. EVEN SOME HAIL OR GRAUPEL ACCUMULATION HAS BEEN NOTED ON MAUNA LOA. THE THREAT OF BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL EXISTS STATEWIDE TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH THE WETTEST LOCATIONS WILL BE CONCENTRATED ON WINDWARD SIDES OF THE ISLANDS. THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE STRENGTHENS TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WHICH INCREASES THE TRADE WINDS. THE MODELS SHOW A DROP OFF IN MOISTURE WHICH WILL LEAD TO MORE CLIMO TYPE POPS DURING THE LAST HALF OF THE WEEK. THE LATEST GFS GUIDANCE ALSO HINTS AT ANOTHER SURGE OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY FOR THE WEEKEND...BUT WILL NEED TO SEE MORE CONSISTENCY WITH THE OTHER MODELS BEFORE CHANGING MUCH IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. && .MARINE... MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND ASSOCIATED ROUGH SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO REQUIRE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE CHANNELS AND AROUND POINTS INTO WEDNESDAY...WHEN BUILDING WINDS LIKELY WILL REQUIRE THE ADVISORY TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL AREAS. THE NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO BRING SURF BACK INTO LOW END ADVISORY LEVELS ON NORTH FACING SHORES THIS EVENING. THE NORTHWEST SWELL WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF TUESDAY MORNING. EASTERLY TRADE WIND SWELL ALSO WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SHORES FACING NORTH OR EAST IN KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-OLOMANA-MOLOKAI-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY- WINDWARD HALEAKALA-SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SHORES FACING EAST IN SOUTH BIG ISLAND-BIG ISLAND NORTH AND EAST. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SHORES FACING NORTH ON NIIHAU. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR KAUAI NORTHWEST WATERS-KAUAI WINDWARD WATERS-KAUAI LEEWARD WATERS-KAUAI CHANNEL-OAHU WINDWARD WATERS-KAIWI CHANNEL-MAUI COUNTY WINDWARD WATERS-PAILOLO CHANNEL-ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL-BIG ISLAND LEEWARD WATERS-BIG ISLAND SOUTHEAST WATERS-BIG ISLAND WINDWARD WATERS. && BRENCHLEY
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
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Missouri, March 17 to 22, 2008
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, March 17 to 19, 2008
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, March 17 to 18, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, March 17 to 19, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, March 17 to 18, 2008
- High Wind and High Surf in Texas, March 17 to 18, 2008
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 17 to 18, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, March 17 to 18, 2008
- Flooding in Missouri, March 17 to 22, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, March 17 to 18, 2008
- High Surf in Hawaii, March 17 to 21, 2008
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Missouri, March 17 to 18, 2008
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, March 2008
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: 92567.