While Hawaii looks green right now, the state is headed into an abnormally dry period, according to the National Weather Service’s Derek Wroe. This means Hawaii’s lush vegetation will soon dry up and become fuel for wildfires.

What You Need To Know

  • Weather forecasters are anticipating below-average rainfall during this year's dry season

  • El Niño will cause the dry season to extend longer than normal into the fall months

  • In the last few years, Hawaii Island has experienced the largest wildfires of all the Hawaiian Islands

  • Humans often cause wildfires, so it’s important to maintain vegetation around homes, be mindful about pulling over and parking on dry grasses, and be careful about welding or doing other hot work

Wroe spoke along with State Protection Forester Mike Walker, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett and others during a news conference held on Wednesday on Hawaii Island to warn residents about wildfires in Hawaii.

“We are expecting below-average rainfall, as we enter the dry season in Hawaii,” said Wroe. 

He also said that El Niño would cause the dry season to extend longer than normal into the fall months.

In the last few years, Hawaii Island has experienced the largest wildfires of all the Hawaiian Islands. The 40,000-acre Mana Road fire in 2021 and the 17,000-acre Leilani fire in 2022 were fueled by invasive fountain grass.

“Twenty-five percent of Hawaii is covered in invasive, fire-adapted grasses,” said Walker, State Protection Forester for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. “While these grasses are flammable year round, they can produce extreme fire danger in these times of drought that impact our homes, our livestock, and our forested watersheds.” 

Walker encouraged people to maintain vegetation around homes, be mindful about pulling over and parking on dry grasses, and be careful about welding or doing other hot work. 

The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is partnering with large landowners to create a wildfire working group on Hawaii Island. The organization will also help connect large landowners with grant opportunities to assist with fuel-reduction projects. 

“Hawaii is among the most fire prone states in the United States,” said Pickett with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. “Wildfire is not like other disasters where we have no control. Wildfires are caused by both human ignitions and by fuels. And both of those can be reduced and managed and we need to make sure that we are not starting fires and we’re managing our fuels in both residential areas and natural areas.”

Wildfire resources can be found here. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.