Wildfire, Molokai Leeward
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM HST to September 5, 6:00 PM HST
- Where
- Molokai Leeward forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
Wildfire in Hawaii, September 1 to 5, 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 from the end of August through early 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 from the end of August through early 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. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
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 31, 8:22 PM HST, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 8:22 PM HST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 822 PM HST MON AUG 31 2009 .UPDATE... NO CHANGES TO OVERALL FORECAST PHILOSOPHY FROM EARLIER ISSUED DISCUSSION. HOWEVER...EVENING SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A CLUMP OF SHOWER-BEARING CUMULUS APPROACHING MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND FROM THE EAST...AND THIS WILL MAKE FOR A DAMP NIGHT FOR WINDWARD PORTIONS OF THESE ISLANDS. HAVE UPDATED THE POP/SKY/QPF FORECASTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE SHOWERS...OTHERWISE ONGOING FORECAST IS ON TRACK. && .SYNOPSIS... A DRY AND STABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL LIMIT RAINFALL THROUGH WEDNESDAY... BUT WINDWARD PORTIONS OF MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND WILL RECEIVE SOME SHOWERS TONIGHT. MOISTURE FROM A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A FEW MORE SHOWERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A HIGH TO THE NORTH WILL KEEP TRADE WINDS BLOWING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE TRADES WILL BE LOCALLY BREEZY WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS THE HIGH MOVES CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS. THE TRADE WINDS WILL WEAKEN EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE HIGH MOVES AWAY TO THE NORTHEAST. && .PREV DISCUSSION ISSUED 400 PM... SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW DRY SUMMERTIME TRADE-WIND WEATHER OVER THE ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDS ARE QUITE SPARSE OVER MOST AREAS WITH PATCHY BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OVER THE LEEWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND AND CLEAR SKIES OVER THE INTERIOR OF THE BIG ISLAND. RADARS SHOW ALMOST NO SHOWER ACTIVITY AROUND THE ISLANDS. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS THE CLOUDS OVER THE LEEWARD SLOPES OF THE BIG ISLAND WILL DISSIPATE AND THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASE IN CLOUDS OVER WINDWARD AREAS. A SURFACE HIGH IS CENTERED ABOUT 1550 MILES NORTH OF THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING FROM THE HIGH TO ABOUT 500 MILES NORTHWEST OF KAUAI. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE HIGH WILL MOVE SOUTH...THEN SOUTHWEST...AND END UP ABOUT 800 MILES NORTH OF OAHU BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. AS THE HIGH GETS CLOSER...THE TRADE WINDS OVER THE ISLANDS WILL STRENGTHEN AND WILL REMAIN RATHER BREEZY THROUGH FRIDAY. MEANWHILE...A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE CENTERED ABOUT 615 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HILO WILL MOVE WEST AROUND 10 MPH. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISTURBANCE WILL INCREASE SHOWER ACTIVITY WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. STARTING FRIDAY...THE SURFACE HIGH NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL MOVE OFF TO THE EAST AND A FRONT WILL MOVE TOWARD THE ISLANDS FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE TRADE WINDS WILL WEAKEN OVER THE WEEKEND AND MAY BECOME RATHER LIGHT BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS UP FOR WINDIER AREAS OF THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED. WE MAY ALSO NEED TO EXPAND THE ADVISORY TO INCLUDE MORE OF THE COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE CURRENT NORTH SWELL WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT SWELLS ARE EXPECTED. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR THE ALENUIHAHA AND PAILOLO CHANNELS...MAALAEA BAY...AND SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND. && UPDATE...BIRCHARD PREV DISCUSSION...DONALDSON
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
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Wildfire in California, September 1 to 3, 2009
- Wildfire in California, September 1 to 8, 2009
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in Colorado, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in California, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in Hawaii, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 14, 2009
- Drought in Wisconsin, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in Wisconsin, September 1, 2009
- Drought in Utah, September 1 to 30, 2009
- Drought in Wisconsin, September 1 to 30, 2009
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, September 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: 192338.