Wildfire in Hawaii, September 19, 2013

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, September 19, 2013
Start: 2013-09-19T12:00
End: 2013-09-19T21:00
Location: Hawaii

September 19, 2013 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A prescribed burn by the Army became unmanageable, and spread, as winds increased in central Oahu near the Helemano Military Reservation. The fire eventually engulfed more than 200 acres of brush.

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.

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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 prescribed burn by the Army became unmanageable, and spread, as winds increased in central Oahu near the Helemano Military Reservation. The fire eventually engulfed more than 200 acres of brush. Sections of Kamehameha Highway near the blaze had to be closed for a time, up to four hours along one stretch. However, no significant property damage or injuries were reported.

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 Sep 19, 9:50 AM HST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 19, 9:50 AM HST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
950 AM HST THU SEP 19 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
THE TRADE WINDS WILL REMAIN MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH THROUGH
SATURDAY...THEN BRIEFLY WEAKENING ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. TRADE
SHOWERS WILL FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS WITH RAINFALL
GENERALLY LIGHT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE FAR NORTH OF HAWAII WILL DRIVE MODERATE TO
LOCALLY FRESH TRADE WIND PATTERN THROUGH SATURDAY. A RELATIVELY
DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS WILL SLOWLY FILTER ONTO THE STATE FROM THE
EAST...THOUGH A FEW CLOUDS AND SHOWERS UPSTREAM MAY IMPACT THE
WINDWARD AND SOUTHEAST BIG ISLAND TODAY. LATEST MIMIC/BLENDED PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUES UPSTREAM ALSO SUPPORT THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR LATER
TODAY.

CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL STAY IN A PERSISTENT PATTERN THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. SHOWERS WILL FOCUS ACROSS WINDWARD AND MAUKA
SIDES OF THE ISLANDS PRIMARILY DURING THE NIGHTTIME AND EARLY
MORNING HOURS. DAYTIME WILL BRING SCATTERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED
SHOWERS TO WINDWARD SIDES. THE LEEWARD SIDES WILL STAY MOSTLY
SUNNY DURING THE DAY AND MOSTLY CLEAR AT NIGHT. SOME OF THE UPPER
LEEWARD SLOPES COULD SEE A FEW NIGHTTIME SHOWERS. OVERALL RAINFALL
WILL REMAIN LIGHT DUE TO THE RELATIVELY DRIER AIR AND STABLE
CONDITIONS ALOFT OVER THE STATE.

THE SURFACE HIGH IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN A LITTLE BIT ON SUNDAY AND
SUNDAY NIGHT AND BRING A BRIEF DECREASE IN TRADE WIND SPEEDS
THROUGH MONDAY. THE HIGH WILL RECOVER FAIRLY QUICKLY WITH WINDS
STRENGTHENING BACK TO CURRENT LEVELS BY MONDAY NIGHT.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER MOST AREAS...WITH BRIEF MVFR
POSSIBLE IN WINDWARD AND MAUKA SECTIONS. NO AIRMETS ARE IN EFFECT.

&&

.MARINE...
THE TRADES OVER THE TYPICAL WINDIER WATERS AROUND MAUI COUNTY AND
THE BIG ISLAND WILL REMAIN NEAR BUT JUST BELOW THE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY THRESHOLD INTO THE WEEKEND. WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO
SLIGHTLY DECREASE ON SUNDAY AND INTO MONDAY...THEN STRENGTHENING
AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT.

A SMALL NORTH SWELL IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...BUT NO SIGNIFICANT
SWELLS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE...FOSTER
AVIATION...WROE

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Central Oahu

When: September 19, 12:00 PM HST to 9:00 PM HST
Where: Central Oahu forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, September 2013

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: 472845.