Conditions are ripe for fires on Kaua‘i and throughout the main Hawaiian Islands, National Weather Service Lead Forecaster Tim Craig said. An abnormally wet winter followed by an unusually dry winter and below average rainfall in recent months have worked
Conditions are ripe for fires on Kaua‘i and throughout the main Hawaiian Islands, National Weather Service Lead Forecaster Tim Craig said.
An abnormally wet winter followed by an unusually dry winter and below average rainfall in recent months have worked together to create a full workload for local firefighters.
“A very wet winter (in 2005) allowed all the foliage to go berserk. Everything was green and lush,” he said. “The problem is last winter was dry so we have all that stuff that grew the previous winter going from green to brown.”
Leeward sides of islands across Hawai‘i are “put in a deficit,” he said Saturday from the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.
“We’re going into the dry season and everything is already brown,” Craig said. “So we’ve got the fuel there, ready, and a lot of it. All it needs is a little spark.”
Safety experts are urging Kaua‘i residents and visitors to use extreme caution this summer to avoid starting accidental fires.
Fire Chief Robert Westerman has asked drivers to avoid throwing cigarette butts out car windows. Citizens should also avoid open flames until the rainy season returns.
On Kaua‘i, authorities said, firefighters have battled at least nine significant brush fires in the last week, plus a small compost fire yesterday afternoon. More than 300 acres have been scorched since Sunday.
The compost fire started in a pile of mulch, and was likely caused by spontaneous combustion, said county spokesperson Mary Daubert.
About 14 firefighters responded to the 2:16 p.m. alarm at Kaua‘i Nursery and Landscaping in Puhi.
KNL workers used a Caterpillar, backhoe, loaders and an excavator to assist with combating the fire, said Battalion Chief Theodore Williams, in a news release.
The fire was controlled by 3:30 p.m.
Despite forecasts calling for 30 to 50 percent chances of scattered showers today through next week, meteorologists are expecting a dry summer with slightly below normal rainfall.
“We’re expecting nothing exceptional,” Craig said. “Firefighters will have a full agenda.”
Ongoing dryness coupled with the seasonal increase in temperatures has produced some drought-type impacts on several islands, primarily in the agricultural sector, according to the National Weather Service online at www.weather.gov.
Rainfall is 30 to 50 percent below normal averages for Kaua‘i and all of Hawai‘i, according to Kevin R. Kodama, National Weather Service senior service hydrologist.
The National Weather Service has called for voluntary irrigation water conservation in the Waimanalo area on O‘ahu and issued a voluntary reduction notice for portions of the Kau District on the Big Island, its Web site states.
Livestock farmers have also reported impacts due to degraded pasture conditions, especially in the leeward areas of Maui and the Big Island, according to the National Weather Service.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
