Posted on: Sunday, September 26, 2004
Storm put damper on brushfires, for now
By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer
The number of brushfires on O'ahu is way down so far this year, but firefighters and weather experts are wary of what the next several months could bring.
As of Wednesday, the Honolulu Fire Department had responded to some 300 fewer brushfires this year than during the same period in 2003. Department statistics show 478 brushfires so far this year compared with 809 in the same stretch last year.
The remnants of Hurricane Darby, which swept over the state last month, probably threw the annual brushfire season a little out of whack, said Kevin Kodama, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service Honolulu office.
"You probably have noticed that Diamond Head and Punchbowl have gotten green again, which is pretty unusual for this time of year," Kodama said.
Credit Darby, Kodama said. Every National Weather Service rain gauge on O'ahu recorded substantially more rainfall than normal last month, some as much as six or seven times the normal amount.
The wetter-than-normal August came on the heels of an arid July, one that had Kodama and others sounding the alarm in mid-July that 26 brushfires in just two days might be the harbinger of worse times to come.
Then, along came Darby, dumping almost 3 inches at Honolulu International Airport on Aug. 4, a single-day all-time record for August, according to the National Weather Service.
But the wet August could turn out to be a double-edged sword, Kodama said. It may have put a damper on the brushfire threat but it also contributed to what Kodama describes as a "vegetative abundance" — potential fuel for brushfires when what is now green begins to turn brown.
And that day may not be far off, Kodama said.
He won't begin to graph and compare this month's rainfall until September comes to an end. "But my perception is that it's been a pretty dry month with below normal precipitation," Kodama said.
In addition, scientists and weather forecasters believe that "we are heading into another El Niņo winter, and are anticipating below normal precipitation," Kodama said.
That means the brushfires O'ahu escaped this summer could catch up with the island later this year, Kodama said.
Capt. Richard Nunes of the Nanakuli fire station said there have been a number of small brushfires over the past two months, but because much of the vegetation in Nanakuli Valley and elsewhere in Nunes' district is still fairly green and moist, the fires have been relatively easy to control.
He said the Nanakuli station is second only to the Wai'anae station when it comes to battling brushfires every summer.
Reach David Waite at 525-7014 or dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.
