Forecasters to issue fire weather watch for leeward areas
The National Weather Service is expected to post a fire weather watch for leeward areas of all islands, including Hawaii Island, starting at midday today and extending through Thursday afternoon.
According to forecasters, dry fuels combined with strong trade winds and lower humidity could produce critical fire weather conditions Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.
ADVERTISING
Winds are forecast to be trades of 15 mph to 30 mph with gusts of 40 mph to 45 mph. The strongest wind gusts will be downwind of terrain.
Humidity is forecast to be 45% to 50% on Wednesday, lowering to 35% to 45% on Thursday.
Under those conditions, any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
“It is important to note that the winds for this event will not be comparable in strength to the Aug. 8 event, where wind gusts of over 60 mph were observed,” National Hurricane Center forecaster Amanda Reinhart wrote in a dispatch Tuesday.
The State Joint Information Center urged Hawaii residents and visitors to take steps and exercise care to reduce the risks of fires. The state and its partners are coordinating additional firefighting resources across the area to meet the increased risk, but the public also plays a vital part in reducing harm.
“This is a kakou situation, where we all have to do our part to protect our communities,” said James Barros, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator.
A fire weather watch is less severe than a red flag warning, which indicates those conditions are occurring or are expected to occur in the next 48 hours.
A fast-moving fire may make it impossible to use certain alert systems, so the public urged to have more than one way to receive information.
Alerts may come via TV or radio, wireless emergency alerts on mobile devices, county alert systems of via the all-hazard siren system, which indicates you should seek more information about an imminent hazard.
Today’s fire weather watch comes on the heels of the deadly Maui wildfires, which are still active — and the Valley Isle, like all the others, is a part of the watch.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the Lahaina fire had burned an estimated 2,170 acres and was reported to be 90% contained, according to Maui County. The Olinda fire has blackened an estimated 1,081 acres and is reportedly 85% contained. And the Kula fire is estimated to have burned 202 acres and is reportedly 90% contained.
Residents can sign up for state and county alerts at https://www.ready.gov/alerts.
For more information on preventing and preparing for wildfires, visit hawaiiwildfire.org.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
