Wildfire, Molokai Leeward
- When
- August 29, 12:50 PM HST to August 31, 11:59 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
Wildfire in Hawaii, August 29 to 31, 2009
Dry conditions on the isle of Molokai contributed to a blaze that impacted parts of the island just north of Kaunakakai. The fire blackened about 8000 acres of brush through the end of August, though it continued to burn into September.
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.
Dry conditions on the isle of Molokai contributed to a blaze that impacted parts of the island just north of Kaunakakai. The fire blackened about 8000 acres of brush through the end of August, though it continued to burn into September. There were no reports of significant property damage or injuries. Firefighters worked diligently to contain the stubborn blaze as it moved on several fronts toward the north and west, being sustained by the dry vegetation and variable winds.
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 29, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 29, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 1000 AM HST SAT AUG 29 2009 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FAR NORTH OF THE STATE WILL PROVIDE A TYPICAL TRADE WIND WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL TEND TO FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WITH A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE OVER LEEWARD AREAS AT TIMES. && .DISCUSSION... MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF HILDA LIES MAINLY SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. HOWEVER SOME OF THIS MOISTURE REMAINS BANKED UP OVER THE WINDWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND WHERE SKIES ARE CLOUDY AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE BEING EXPERIENCED. SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE IS ALSO SEEN MOVING NORTHWARD TOWARD KAUAI BUT RADAR IS NOT DETECTING ANY SHOWERS FROM THIS AREA OF CLOUDS. THIS AREA OF MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO VACATE THE ISLANDS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH OUR UPCOMING WEATHER PATTERN. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE BUILDING IN FAR NORTH OF THE STATE. THIS WILL KEEP US IN A TYPICAL TRADE WIND PATTERN WILL INTO NEXT WEEK. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL FAVOR TYPICAL WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WITH JUST A FEW SHOWERS EXPECTED OVER SELECT LEEWARD AREAS. WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON AN AREA OF ENHANCED MOISTURE THAT IS SEEN MOVING WESTWARD FAR EAST OF THE BIG ISLAND. THIS MAY INCREASE SHOWER ACTIVITY TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE BIG ISLAND BEING THE LIKELY RECIPIENT. && .MARINE... LATEST READINGS FROM THE WAIMEA BAY BUOY SHOW SWELL HEIGHTS ARE JUST UNDER 5 FEET WITH PERIODS RUNNING AT AROUND 10 TO 11 SECONDS FROM A DUE NORTHERLY DIRECTION. THIS MATCHES UP WELL WITH WAVE WATCH MODEL GUIDANCE THIS SWELL HAS LIKELY PEAKED AND WILL GRADUALLY LOWER THROUGH SUNDAY. A NEW NORTH NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BUILDING IN ON SUNDAY. MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT THIS SWELL WILL PEAK SUNDAY NIGHT OR EARLY MONDAY AND THEN GRADUALLY LOWER INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. WE WILL LEAVE THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UP FOR THE USUAL WINDY ZONES. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALENUIHAHA CHANNEL AND SOUTHERN BIG ISLAND WATERS THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. && BURKE
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
- Rip Current in Florida, August 29, 2009
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in New York, August 29, 2009
- Flood in Iowa, August 29 to 31, 2009
- Flood in Iowa, August 29 to 30, 2009
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, August 29, 2009
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 29, 2009
- Rip Currents and High Surf in New Jersey, August 29 to 30, 2009
- Flood and High Wind in Maine, August 29 to 30, 2009
- Hail in Colorado, August 29, 2009
- Hail and Heavy Rain in Oregon, August 29, 2009
- Flash Flooding in New Jersey, August 29, 2009
- Rip Current and High Surf in Delaware, August 29 to 30, 2009
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2009
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: 188950.