Wildfire in Hawaii, May 28 to 31, 2012

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, May 28 to 31, 2012
Start: 2012-05-28T14:00
End: 2012-05-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

May 28 to 31, 2012 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A blaze scorched more than 40 acres of dry molasses grass and slash pine in a remote area of the Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve on the island of Kauai. The cause of the fire was unknown.

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 blaze scorched more than 40 acres of dry molasses grass and slash pine in a remote area of the Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve on the island of Kauai. The cause of the fire was unknown. It did not threaten any structures or rare tropical vegetation. No significant property damage or injuries were reported. However, the blaze remained active through the end of the month.

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 May 28, 1:45 PM HST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 28, 1:45 PM HST, 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
145 PM HST MON MAY 28 2012

.UPDATE...
HAVE ISSUED WIND ADVISORIES FOR THE BIG ISLAND SADDLE AND THE BIG
ISLAND SUMMITS DUE TO WINDS INCREASING RAPIDLY THERE THIS AFTERNOON.
THE LATEST HI RES WRF MODELED SURFACE WIND AND GFS 850 MB TO 700 MB
WINDS SHOWS THIS UPSWING TREND AND KEEPS EAST WINDS STRONG AND GUSTY
IN THESE LOCATIONS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
GUSTY TRADES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDWEEK AS A STRONG HIGH
PRESSURE REMAINS FAR NORTH OF THE STATE. THE TRADES WILL DECREASE A
BIT THE LAST HALF OF THE WEEK AS THE RIDGE WEAKENS. LIGHT PASSING
SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS FOR THE NEXT FEW
DAYS...WITH AN INCREASE IN TRADE SHOWERS POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
A DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS REMAINS ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE INVERSION
PRESSED DOWN AROUND 7000 FEET. A 1028 MB SURFACE HIGH FAR TO THE
NORTH COUPLED WITH STRONG EASTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS PROVIDING PLENTY OF
GUSTY TRADE WINDS TO THE ALOHA STATE. THE EAST WINDS TOOK A BRIEF
BREATHER AT HALEAKALA SUMMIT EARLIER THIS MORNING...HOWEVER THE
WINDS HAVE RAMPED UP AGAIN AND ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN VERY GUSTY FOR
AT LEAST THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE WIND
ADVISORY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE GENERAL PATTERN
REMAINS IN PLACE INTO WEDNESDAY...WITH JUST BRIEF PASSING TRADE
SHOWERS AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE.

THE PATTERN WILL CHANGE A BIT AFTER WEDNESDAY AS A MID AND UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH PINCHES OFF FROM THE WESTERLIES AND DROPS
SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARDS THE STATE. THIS WILL INTRODUCE INSTABILITY
AND INCREASED MOISTURE TO THE AREA AS THE TROUGH APPROACHES LATE
WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE LOW LEVEL PATTERN WILL REMAIN
TRADES...THUS EXPECTING A PERIOD OF WETTER TRADE SHOWER WEATHER
DURING THE LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY TIME FRAME.

BY FRIDAY INTO THE COMING WEEKEND...THE UPPER TROUGH STALLS AND
WEAKENS TO OUR EAST BRINGING MORE TYPICAL STABLE TRADE WIND WEATHER
TO THE AREA.

&&

.AVIATION...
AS A RESULT OF STRONG LOW-LEVEL TRADE WINDS...AIRMET TANGO CONTINUES
FOR TEMPO MODERATE TURBULENCE AND ISOLATED SEVERE TURBULENCE IN THE
AIR SPACE BELOW 8 TO 9 KFT LEEWARD OF THE MOUNTAINS ON ALL ISLANDS.
THE SURFACE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN STRONG THROUGH TODAY...SO
EXPECT AIRMET TANGO TO CONTINUE. EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL.

&&

.MARINE...
FRESH TO STRONG TRADES WILL HOLD THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE
WEEK...ENSURING THAT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES /SCA/ WILL LIKELY NEED
TO BE EXTENDED INTO THE DAY TUESDAY FOR MOST AREAS. AS WINDS DECLINE
A NOTCH WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...LOOK FOR THE SCA TO BE TRIMMED
BACK TO THE TYPICALLY WINDY WATERS AROUND MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND.

THE ABOVE NORMAL SEAS AND SWELL GENERATED BY THE STRONG AND GUSTY
TRADES...WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE EXPOSED EAST FACING SHORES
THROUGH AT LEAST TONIGHT...AND LIKELY INTO TUESDAY. AS THE TRADES
DECREASE...THE CHOPPY WINDWARD SURF WILL CORRESPONDINGLY SUBSIDE.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST WEDNESDAY FOR BIG ISLAND SUMMITS...BIG
ISLAND INTERIOR...SPECIFICALLY THE SADDLE AREA...AND HALEAKALA
SUMMIT.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR EAST FACING SHORES.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM HST TUESDAY FOR ALL HAWAIIAN WATERS.

&&

BRENCHLEY/FOSTER

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Kauai Windward

When: May 28, 2:00 PM HST to May 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: Kauai Windward forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper

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

Every storm in Hawaii in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, May 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: 375390.