Wildfire, Kona
- When
- July 4, 11:37 PM HST to July 6, 6:00 AM HST
- Where
- Kona forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 19.602, -155.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, July 4 to 6, 2010
Very dry conditions helped sustain a 500-acre brush fire in North Kona about five miles south of Puuanahulu on the Big Island of Hawaii. The fire remained in open terrain and did not threaten any structures from late on the 4th through the early morning hours of the 6th of July.
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.
Very dry conditions helped sustain a 500-acre brush fire in North Kona about five miles south of Puuanahulu on the Big Island of Hawaii. The fire remained in open terrain and did not threaten any structures from late on the 4th through the early morning hours of the 6th of July. There were no serious injuries. However, Mamalahoa Highway (Route 190) was closed for a time between mile markers 27 and 30 as firefighters contained the fire. The blaze may have been caused by fireworks, according to a county official.
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 Jul 4, 7:40 PM HST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 7:40 PM HST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 740 PM HST SUN JUL 4 2010 .SYNOPSIS... TRADE WIND WEATHER WILL REIGN OVER THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS WEEK AND INTO THE UPCOMING WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS WELL NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF THE STATE. THE SHOWERS BEARING CLOUDS CARRIED BY THE TRADES WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS OF THE ISLANDS. SHOWERS WILL BE MOST ABUNDANT DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS. ALSO...THE KONA SIDE OF THE BIG ISLAND MAY EXPERIENCE AN ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWER OVER THE DISTRICT AND ADJACENT WATERS. && .DISCUSSION... A BROAD...STRONG...HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH THE CENTER LOCATED 1700 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE STATE...CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ISLANDS. A RIDGE EXTENDS WEST SOUTHWEST FROM THE HIGH TO A POSITION FAR TO THE NORTH OF THE STATE. THIS PLACES THE ISLANDS IN A MODERATE TRADE WIND ENVIRONMENT. AS THE HIGH MOVES FURTHER AWAY DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...THE ASSOCIATED RIDGE WILL SHIFT A BIT SOUTH. THIS WILL CAUSE OUR TRADE WINDS TO DROP OFF A NOTCH FROM THE PRESENT LEVELS. THE HIGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE STATE LATER IN THE WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE RETURN TO MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG TRADES BY THE WEEKEND. THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ENJOYED A RATHER DRY...SUNNY...SUNDAY AFTER A DAMP SATURDAY. THIS CAME AFTER A LARGE BATCH OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS MOVED THROUGH THE ISLANDS 24 TO 36 HOURS AGO. A DRIER AIR MASS FOLLOWED BEHIND. THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS CLOSING IN ON THE ISLANDS. IT APPEARS WE WILL BE A LITTLE WETTER FOR TONIGHT THAN LAST NIGHT. THE NEAREST POINT OF THIS AREA IS 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF MAUI MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 15 MPH. AT THIS RATE...THE ISLANDS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE SOME SHOWERS OVER THE WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS OF MAUI MOLOKAI AND THE BIG ISLAND BY 10 PM...OAHU SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND KAUAI TOWARD SUNRISE MONDAY. THIS SHOWER AREA EXTENDS NORTHEASTWARD FOR 500 MILES. SO...WE EXPECT THE SHOWERY WEATHER TO LAST THROUGH A GOOD PART OF MONDAY MORNING. THE WINDS AT CLOUD LEVEL WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY THESE SHOWERS INTO THE LEEWARD ZONES. THE LATEST WEATHER RADAR LOOP SHOWS SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS OVER THE WINDWARD WATERS AND MOUNTAINS OF MAUI AND MOLOKAI...AND OAHU/S WINDWARD WATERS. A COUPLE OF HEAVIER SHOWER ARE PRESENT BETWEEN KAILUA KONA TOWN AND KEAUHOU. THE CURRENT ZONAL FLOW AT THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE ISLANDS WILL CHANGE TOWARD MID WEEK WITH A LOW SETTING UP SHOP A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF OAHU. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO HAVE LITTLE IMPACT TO OUR WEATHER AT THIS TIME. THE LOW/S PRESENCE WILL BE SHORT...FOR ABOUT 24 HOURS...BEFORE AN EASTERLY WIND FLOW INVADES THE AIR SPACE FROM THE EAST. && .MARINE... THE WINDS AND SEAS WILL REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGH FRIDAY BUT WINDS MAY PICK UP LATER IN THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND TO REQUIRE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE USUAL WINDY AREAS AROUND MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND. SMALL...MAINLY BACKGROUND SOUTHERLY SWELLS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH A SLIGHT BUMP UP POSSIBLE AROUND NEXT WEEKEND. THE LIGHTER TRADE WINDS WILL PROVIDE ONLY SMALL SHORT PERIOD CHOPPY SURF ALONG EAST FACING SHORES WITH AN UPTICK EXPECTED BY NEXT WEEKEND WITH THE STRENGTHENING TRADE WINDS. THE WAVEWATCH MODEL ALSO INDICATES THERE MAY BE A SMALL OUT OF SEASON NORTHWEST SWELL DURING THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. WE WILL TAKE A WAIT AND SEE APPROACH AND ANALYZE HOW WELL THE SWELL PRODUCING LOW DEVELOPS. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && LAU
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
- Excessive Heat in New York, July 4 to 7, 2010
- Heat in Nevada, July 4 to 12, 2010
- Heat in Maryland, July 4 to 8, 2010
- Heat in Michigan, July 4 to 8, 2010
- Rip Current in Texas, July 4, 2010
- Excessive Heat in New Jersey, July 4 to 7, 2010
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Colorado, July 4, 2010
- Flash Flooding in Minnesota, July 4, 2010
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kansas, July 4 to 7, 2010
- Tornadoes and Flooding in Kansas, July 4, 2010
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, July 4, 2010
- Flooding and Hail in Kansas, July 4 to 5, 2010
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, July 2010
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: 240727.