Wildfire, Oahu North Shore
- When
- August 16, 12:45 PM HST to August 18, 8:00 AM HST
- Where
- Oahu North Shore forecast zone
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 21.455, -157.961 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Hawaii, August 16 to 18, 2020
A fire blackened around 2000 acres of mainly dry brush in rugged terrain in the northwest part of Oahu. The cause of the blaze was not known, but it did close Kaukonahua Road near Waialua for a time as firefighters battled the flames.
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 around 2000 acres of mainly dry brush in rugged terrain in the northwest part of Oahu. The cause of the blaze was not known, but it did close Kaukonahua Road near Waialua for a time as firefighters battled the flames. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
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 Aug 16, 9:56 AM HST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 9:56 AM HST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Honolulu HI 956 AM HST Sun Aug 16 2020 .SYNOPSIS... A ridge of high pressure north of the islands will keep moderate trade winds blowing through the week. Dry trade wind conditions will hold through Monday with showers confined primarily to windward and mauka areas. A disturbance aloft will drop southward and move over the state Monday night through Wednesday, increasing trade wind showers a bit. && .DISCUSSION... A ridge of high pressure north of the state will maintain moderate trade winds throughout the week. This morning's satellite imagery is showing mostly fair trade wind weather across the state with some lingering moisture near Kauai. Some light showers will be moving through Kauai today, but elsewhere we should see mostly dry trade wind weather through Monday. Starting Monday night, a weak upper level low will move over the islands and will likely bring some increasing showers. For the most part, the instability remains fairly low, thus shower intensities should remain mostly light to moderate and we should see our normal trade wind showers through Tuesday. For the second half of the work week, the upper level low should begin to move away from the state. But as its moving away, model guidance is indicating some tropical moisture moving in from the southeast. The latest GFS is showing precipitable water values of over 2 inches moving through the state. If this forecast holds true, we could potentially see the wet trade wind weather and the threat for heavy rainfall in some areas Wednesday night through Friday. With trades holding at moderate speeds, the most likely area for some downpours will be over windward and mountain areas. Stay tuned for more details. && .AVIATION... High pressure far northwest of the state will maintain light to moderate trade wind flow across the state. Clouds and showers will favor windward slopes and coasts in the late night and morning hours, then island interiors in the afternoon and evening hours. The airmass over the state remains mostly dry and mostly stable, so most shower activity will be light in nature. Brief MVFR CIG and VIS are to be expected in showers, but VFR conditions will otherwise prevail all areas. No AIRMETs are in effect or anticipated at this time. && .MARINE... A surface ridge will remain nearly stationary far N of the islands through the week, keeping the islands within the tropical trade wind belt. However, a front passing between the islands and the ridge will keep winds on the lighter side for the next couple of days. A subtle increase in wind speeds is possible by mid-week as the front dissipates. No significant swells are expected for the foreseeable future, but a small, long-period S swell will provide some surf to S facing shores for the next several days. && .HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Kino AVIATION...Bedal MARINE...Birchard
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
- Rip Currents in Indiana, August 16, 2020
- Wildfire in California, August 16 to 31, 2020
- Heat in Oregon, August 16 to 17, 2020
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nebraska, August 16 to 17, 2020
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 16, 2020
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, August 16, 2020
- Dust Storm and Damaging Winds in Arizona, August 16, 2020
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, August 16, 2020
- Damaging Winds in Texas, August 16, 2020
- Hail in Colorado, August 16, 2020
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, August 16, 2020
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 16, 2020
More
Every storm in Hawaii in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, August 2020
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: 909359.