Fire Weather Warnings have been issued across eastern Hawaii, including Lahaina, Monday due to critical fire weather conditions fueled by strong trade winds and low humidity.
The warnings stretch from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui and will remain in effect through at least 6 p.m. HST.
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“We have this dynamic setup,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan said. “The trade winds are busier than they typically are. Those winds move out of the east. That’s because of a ridge of high pressure.”
The National Weather Service in Honolulu said fire weather conditions have improved over Kauai, Niihau and Oahu due to a front moving over western areas of the state, and the Fire Weather Warnings have been canceled there.
“The wind is going to be strongest out of the east, which is the same direction and most common direction that the winds flow,” Morgan continued. “This threat, while we might see some improvements as we head toward the middle of the week, is going to ramp up yet again as that ridge of high pressure really locks in. And those humidity levels, we’ll be watching those closely here today.”
It’s already been a devastating fire season in Hawaii. Residents have slowly started to return to Lahaina after Hawaii experienced the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years.
At least 97 people were killed, and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed when the fire swept through Lahaina in August, forcing residents to jump into the ocean to escape the intense heat from smoke and flames that were devouring the community.
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The wildfires on Maui occurred due to a combination of a few atmospheric conditions.
Hurricane Dora was spinning to the south of the Hawaiian islands in August, and dry conditions and a strong ridge of high pressure to the north helped to provide the 70-mph wind gusts that allowed the flames to rage out of control once they were ignited.