Wildfire, Kohala
- When
- February 18, 11:33 AM HST to February 19, 4:30 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, February 18 to 19, 2012
A fire blackened about 80 acres of dry brush near Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The fire started just below the Kekumu Apartments in the Paniolo Estates.
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 blackened about 80 acres of dry brush near Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The fire started just below the Kekumu Apartments in the Paniolo Estates. However, the fire did not threaten any property, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze was not known.
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 Feb 18, 9:55 AM HST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 18, 9:55 AM HST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI 955 AM HST SAT FEB 18 2012 .SYNOPSIS... TRADE WINDS WILL REMAIN BREEZY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AND SHOWER COVERAGE WILL INCREASE. WHILE RAINFALL WILL FOCUS OVER WINDWARD AREAS...SOME SHOWERS WILL AFFECT LEEWARD LOCATIONS AS WELL. WINDS WILL DECREASE EARLY IN THE WEEK BUT ENHANCED SHOWERS WILL REMAIN INTO WEDNESDAY. EXPECT DRIER TRADE WIND CONDITIONS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... SHOWER COVERAGE INCREASED OVERNIGHT WITH A FOCUS OVER WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS. THIS INCREASE IN SHOWERS WILL REMAIN INTO NEXT WEEK AS STRONG TRADE WINDS COMBINE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PARKED JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE. THE UPPER LOW HAS BROUGHT COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO THE MID AND UPPER ATMOSPHERE...ALLOWING FOR MODERATE ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY. LEEWARD LOCATIONS WILL NOT BE IMMUNE TO THE INCREASED SHOWERS AS THE TRADES PUSH RAINFALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS. ON THE LEEWARD BIG ISLAND...AFTERNOON HEATING WILL LEAD TO CLOUDS AND ENHANCED SHOWERS INTO THE EVENINGS. THE INSTABILITY PROVIDED BY THE UPPER LOW WILL ALLOW SOME OF THOSE AFTERNOON SHOWERS TO BE LOCALLY HEAVY. THIS MORNINGS SATELLITE AND RADAR DATA SHOW SOME FLEETING TOWERING CUMULUS POPPING UP SOUTH OF KAUAI...OVER THE COASTAL WATERS. THESE ENHANCED CLOUD TOPS ARE THE RESULTS OF THE UPPER LOW COOLING THE ATMOSPHERE. A PRONOUNCED REGION OF THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE SEEN 350 MILES SOUTH OF HONOLULU...CORRESPONDING TO THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW TAPPING INTO TROPICAL MOISTURE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO AFFECT HAWAII WEATHER. IN ADDITION TO ENHANCING THE INCOMING TRADE SHOWERS...THE UPPER LOW HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING WINTER WEATHER TO THE BIG ISLAND SUMMITS...FROM TONIGHT INTO MONDAY...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT. THE CURRENT FORECAST CONTINUES TO CALL FOR FREEZING RAIN... BASED ON MODEL PREDICTIONS OF LIMITED MOISTURE DEPTH ABOVE THE SUMMITS. TRADE WINDS WILL DROP A NOTCH ON MONDAY AS A COLD FRONT NW OF THE STATE DECREASES THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER HAWAII. THE FRONT IS NOT EXPECTED TO REACH THE ISLANDS...BUT WILL PUSH THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CLOSER TO THE ISLANDS...TURNING THE GENERAL FLOW OUT OF THE EAST SOUTHEAST ON TUESDAY. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL REMAIN THROUGH THE WEEK AS THE FRONT DISSIPATES AND A HIGH PRESSURE ESTABLISHES ITSELF NORTH OF THE STATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE UPPER LOW REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE WEAKENING AND MOVING NORTHEAST OF THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY. RAINFALL TOTALS WILL DECREASE IN KIND FOR THE THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK...WHILE TRADE WINDS CONTINUE TO BRING SHOWERS TO WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT THE TERMINALS INTO TOMORROW...WITH BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VIS DUE TO LOW CLOUDS/SHRA EXPECTED OVER THE WINDWARD SLOPES OF ALL ISLANDS. AIRMET TANGO IS IN PLACE FOR LOW LEVEL TURB TO THE S AND W OF THE MTS OF ALL ISLANDS...DUE TO STRONG TRADE WINDS...AND WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. && .MARINE... THE CURRENT WNW SWELL CONTINUES TO DIMINISH TODAY AND THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR EXPOSED BEACHES WAS CANCELLED LAST NIGHT. STRONG TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS HAS PROMPTED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL WATERS...AND SHORT-PERIOD SURF IS INCREASING ALONG EXPOSED EAST SHORES. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR EAST SHORES WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 6 PM HST THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST SUNDAY FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST SUNDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS- && MORRISON
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
- Flood and Hail in Georgia, February 18 to 19, 2012
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Mississippi, February 18, 2012
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Louisiana, February 18, 2012
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, February 18, 2012
- Flash Flood and Hail in Louisiana, February 18, 2012
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, February 18, 2012
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Alabama, February 18, 2012
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Florida, February 18 to 19, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, February 18 to 19, 2012
- Flash Flooding in Texas, February 18, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, February 18, 2012
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, February 18, 2012
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, February 2012
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: 360465.