Fire weather watch issued for Hawaiian Islands

LIHU‘E — The National Weather issued a fire weather watch for the leeward portions of all Hawaiian Islands due to gusty winds and low humidity through Thursday afternoon

But the winds are not expected to rise to the level of those that blew through the island of Maui on Aug. 8 and set off a series of wildfires, including the deadly Lahaina Fire. The wind gusts on Aug. 8 exceeded 60 mph.

“Dry fuels combined with strong trade winds and lower humidity could produce critical fire weather conditions Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon,” the National Weather Service said in the first such alert ahead of the Aug. 8 wildfires.

Trade winds are forecast from 15 to 30 mph with gusts of 40 to 45 mph. The strongest wind gusts will be downwind of terrain. The highs for both days should be around 85 degrees.

“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the National Weather Service said. “Outdoor burning is not recommended.”

The fire weather watch prompted the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) to urge residents and business owners to be prepared for the upcoming conditions, as well as adhere to fire tips from the Kaua‘i Fire Department.

“KIUC’s west side crews are patrolling leeward areas today (Tuesday) to assess conditions,” the utility said.

“KIUC will be closely monitoring weather conditions throughout the fire weather watch period for impacts to its electrical infrastructure. Actions will be taken as necessary to protect life and property.”

The utility added that people in “areas covered under the watch should be prepared for potential preemptive and/or extended power outages. Restoration efforts may not be conducted in affected areas until the fire weather watch is lifted.”

For more information visit kiuc.coop. For fire prevention tips visit kauai.gov and click on the government tab in order to access the Kaua‘i Fire Department webpage.

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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.