Three fires blackened 2800 acres of brush in leeward West Maui near Lahaina. The blazes were fueled by dry vegetation and whipped up by winds from Hurricane Lane that was south of Maui County at the time.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.
Three fires blackened 2800 acres of brush in leeward West Maui near Lahaina. The blazes were fueled by dry vegetation and whipped up by winds from Hurricane Lane that was south of Maui County at the time. The fires damaged or destroyed 22 structures, including 13 homes with 60 individuals displaced; and 30 vehicles, along with a base yard that stored heavy equipment. Also, more than 100 homes had to be evacuated. A woman was injured by one of the fires and was taken to a hospital. The cost of damages had not yet been tabulated. The causes of the blazes were not known.
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 Aug 23, 9:44 PM HST, 4 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED National Weather Service Honolulu HI 944 PM HST Thu Aug 23 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Catastrophic flooding continues on the Big Island this evening as dangerous Hurricane Lane creeps northward a couple of hundred miles south of Honolulu. This threat along with damaging winds is expected to expand westward over the smaller islands later tonight through Saturday as Lane approaches and moves into the area. This will be a long-duration event with the potential for heavy rainfall continuing Sunday into early next week as Lane begins to track westward and away from the state. Additionally, coastal impacts associated with large surf and water levels rising due to surge could lead to inundation and overwash onto low-level coastal areas through Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... The new intermediate advisory (8 pm HST) from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) has Hurricane Lane slowly moving northward toward the main Hawaiian Islands at 6 mph, located about 230 miles south of Honolulu (230 miles SW of Kailua-Kona). Maximum sustained winds associated with Lane remain at 120 mph near the center, which is a category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Lane is forecast to continue on this track into Friday as it approaches and moves near the islands. Lane is then forecast to gradually make a turn toward the west late Friday and Friday night, passing south of Oahu and Kauai Saturday and Saturday night. Interests are reminded not to only focus on the exact track of Lane as impacts are and will occur far away from its center. Catastrophic flooding continues this evening over the Big Island with peak totals near or around the 25" mark just south of Hilo (Waiakea Exp. Station). This threat along with damaging winds is expected to expand westward over the smaller islands later tonight through Saturday as Lane approaches and moves into the area. Localized rainfall totals may reach or exceed 40" as this event continues through the weekend as Lane slowly tracks away from the state. Out at the beaches and along low-lying coastal areas, life- threatening surf combined with storm surge will translate to inundation and/or overwash. The greatest potential for these coastal threats will occur along south and southeast facing shores. For the extended period (next week), deep tropical moisture axis is forecast to hold over the western end of the state through the first half of the week as Lane turns northward well west of Kauai. This will keep the threat for heavy rainfall and flooding in place, mainly for Kauai and Oahu. Confidence remains low through the second half of the week due to large model differences. The ECMWF depicts another tropical cyclone developing and moving into the central Pacific while the GFS only shows a weak and broad trough or low. For additional details with regard to impacts for each island associated with Lane, refer to the latest local statements issued with each advisory package (next issuance 11 pm - midnight; TCV/HLS). && .AVIATION... Deep layered clouds and rain showers associated with the outer bands of Hurricane Lane now completely encompass the state. Current radar imagery indicates the heaviest rainfall to be occurring across northeast Big Island and waters just east of Maui. Expect Isolated IFR ceilings and visibilities in these locally heavy downpours. Conditions are forecast to spread gradually north and west throughout the night. AIRMET Sierra for mountain obscuration is in effect for north through east sections of the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Conditions will continue to expand and will likely include all principal islands by midday Friday. Isolated thunderstorm activity is possible across the whole of the forecast area tonight, but is most likely to occur over Leeward Big Island and Maui County. The sharp contrast of strong high pressure to the north and falling pressures to the south will result in increasingly strong straight-line winds across most of the state. An Airmet is currently in effect for mechanical low level turbulence to the leeward side of all mountains. AIRMET Tango is also in effect for waters within 40nm S of the Big Island as well as the Pailolo and Alenuihaha Channels in response to the strong cyclonic surface winds associated with Hurricane Lane. Conditions are expected to gradually intensify and expand west-northwestward over the next 24 hours. Light rime icing is expected in layered clouds above FL200. && .MARINE... Hurricane Lane is currently slowly tracking north and is forecast to move very close or over the leeward waters of the smaller islands tonight through Saturday. See the Coastal Hazard Message (HFOCFWHFO) for surf advisories and warnings and the Marine Weather Message (HFOMWWHFO) for marine warnings over the coastal waters. The Ocean Prediction Center will be preparing the Offshore Waters Forecast for Hawaii. See the latest Collaborative Surf Discussion (SRDHFO) for more details on surf and swell from other sources. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Hurricane Warning for Oahu-Molokai-Lanai-Kahoolawe-Maui. Flash Flood Watch through late Friday night for all Hawaii islands. High Surf Warning until 6 AM HST Saturday for Niihau-Kauai Windward-Kauai Leeward-Oahu South Shore-Waianae Coast-Molokai Leeward-Lanai Makai-Kahoolawe-Maui Leeward West-Maui Central Valley-Leeward Haleakala-Kona. Hurricane Watch for Niihau-Kauai. Tropical Storm Warning for Big Island. High Surf Warning until 6 AM HST Friday for South Big Island-Big Island North and East. Hurricane Warning for Kauai Channel-Oahu Leeward Waters-Kaiwi Channel-Maui County Leeward Waters-Maalaea Bay-Pailolo Channel- Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big Island Southeast Waters. Hurricane Watch for Kauai Northwest Waters-Kauai Windward Waters- Kauai Leeward Waters. Tropical Storm Warning for Oahu Windward Waters-Maui County Windward Waters-Big Island Windward Waters. && DISCUSSION...Gibbs AVIATION...Bedal MARINE...Kino
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
822 PM HST THU AUG 23 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0755 PM HEAVY RAIN 10 W HILO 19.70N 155.24W
08/23/2018 E0.00 INCH HAWAII HI LAW ENFORCEMENT
SADDLE ROAD IN THE AREA OF THE 10.5 MILE MARKER ABOVE
HILO DUE TO A LANDSLIDE AND LARGE ROCKS ON THE ROAD.
CLEAN-UP CREWS ARE ENROUTE.
&&
JCHEVALIPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
838 PM HST THU AUG 23 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0753 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG MAKAWAO 20.86N 156.32W
08/23/2018 MAUI HI TRAINED SPOTTER
44MPH SUSTAINED WINDS...RAINFALL 1.01 SINCE 1200AM
THURSDAY MORNING. POWER LOSS AT 0807PM.
&&
JCHEVALIPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
931 PM HST THU AUG 23 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0718 PM HURRICANE LAHAINA 20.89N 156.67W
08/23/2018 MAUI HI COUNTY OFFICIAL
STRONG WIND CAUSING TREE BRANCHES TO FALL ONTO POWER
LINES. POWER OUTAGES REPORTED IN SOME AREAS OF MAUI.
&&
RCBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Hawaii in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2018
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: 774206.