Wildfire in Hawaii, September 20, 2013

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, September 20, 2013
Start: 2013-09-20T04:00
End: 2013-09-20T06:00
Location: Hawaii

September 20, 2013 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A blaze in West Oahu blackened 40 acres of dry brush on state land in Maili, and came within 100 feet of several homes. Some residents left voluntarily as the flames approached their area.

Where it happened

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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 blaze in West Oahu blackened 40 acres of dry brush on state land in Maili, and came within 100 feet of several homes. Some residents left voluntarily as the flames approached their area. Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it could damage any houses. There were no serious injuries or property damage. The cause of the fire was being investigated.

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 20, 3:30 AM HST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 3:30 AM HST, 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
330 AM HST FRI SEP 20 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...
A SFC HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM FAR N OF THE ALOHA STATE WILL CONTINUE
TO BRING MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH TRADES THROUGH SAT. SHOWER
ACTIVITY ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS REMAINS LIMITED WITH RADAR
DATA SHOWING JUST A FEW BRIEF SHOWERS AFFECTING MOSTLY WINDWARD
SLOPES OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

A DRIER AIRMASS CONTINUES TO FILTER INTO THE AREA FROM THE E.
LATEST MIMIC/BLENDED PW ANALYSES ALSO SHOW LOWER PWAT VALUES
SPREADING E TO W ACROSS THE ISLANDS. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ARE
RELATIVELY STABLE OVER THE ALOHA STATE WITH SOUNDING DATA SHOWING
POSITIVE LI VALUES...RETURNING INVERSIONS AROUND 8 KFT AND DRIER AIR
ALOFT. ALSO...MID/UPPER LVL RIDGING WILL HELP IN SUPPRESSING
INSTABILITY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

WITH A TRADE WIND WEATHER REGIME IN PLACE...LOW CLOUDS AND BRIEF
PASSING SHOWERS WILL REMAIN FOCUSED OVER WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS.
RAINFALL IN GENERAL WILL REMAIN LIGHT. HOWEVER...THE ELEVATED
INVERSIONS WILL ALLOW FOR THE TRADES TO PUSH A FEW OF THE LARGER
SHOWERS INTO LEEWARD LOCATIONS AT TIMES...MOSTLY DURING THE
NIGHTTIME PERIODS. FOR THE DAYTIME PERIODS...MOST LEEWARD LOCATIONS
OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS SHOULD REMAIN DRY AND SUNNY. A SECOND SFC
HIGH IS SHOWN ON GUIDANCE DEVELOPING FAR NW OF THE ISLANDS AND
REPLACING THE CURRENT HIGH TO THE N FROM LATE SAT THROUGH MON. THIS
WILL WEAKEN THE TRADES ON BOTH DAYS. THE HIGH WILL RECOVER FAIRLY
QUICKLY WITH WINDS STRENGTHENING BACK TO CURRENT LEVELS BY TUE. THE
MODELS ALSO SUGGEST A MODEST INCREASE IN MOISTURE UPSTREAM OF THE
ISLANDS...WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY BECOMING A LITTLE MORE ACTIVE DURING
THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL OVER MOST AREAS...WITH BRIEF
MVFR CIGS AND VIS IN SHRA CONFINED TO WINDWARD AND MAUKA SECTIONS
INTO TONIGHT. NO AIRMETS ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT...HOWEVER TRADE
WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE. THE INCREASE IN TRADES MAY PROMPT
THE ISSUANCE OF AIRMET TANGO FOR LOW LEVEL TURBULENCE LATER TODAY.

&&

.MARINE...
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE TYPICALLY WINDIER
WATERS AROUND THE BIG ISLAND AND MAUI COUNTY...WHICH WILL BE IN
EFFECT THROUGH SAT NIGHT. WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN
BASICALLY RIGHT AT THE ADVISORY THRESHOLD...WITH SOME GUSTY PERIODS
AT TIMES. WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN ON SUN AND INTO
MON...THEN STRENGTHENING AGAIN MON NIGHT OR TUE.

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

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
THE TRADE WINDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE FORECAST TO STAY
JUST BELOW RED FLAG CRITERIA THROUGH SAT. THE SITUATION WILL BE
CLOSELY MONITORED. PLEASE SEE OUR FIRE WEATHER FORECAST /FWFHFO/ ON
OUR WEBSITE.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY /SCA/ IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE
TYPICALLY WINDIER WATERS AROUND MAUI COUNTY AND THE BIG ISLAND.

&&

DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...REYNES
AVIATION...M BALLARD

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, Waianae Coast

When: September 20, 4:00 AM HST to 6:00 AM HST
Where: Waianae Coast 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: 472847.