LAHAINA, Hi. – Dozens are dead and hundreds of buildings are damaged or destroyed on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Specifically, the hardest-hit area is the tourist town of Lahaina.
It comes as parts of the island are struggling to find rain.
The nearest airport at Kahului, a 30-minute drive from Lahaina, has recorded less than half an inch of rain since the beginning of June. The average for that time period is three-quarters of an inch.
That said, parts of the island are experiencing drought conditions.
In addition to that, Hurricane (yes, they’re still called hurricanes in this part of the Pacific) Dora is miles to the south. The storm is maintaining Category 4 status as of Thursday morning with winds around its center estimated at 140 mph.
The wind between Dora and high pressure to the north is what’s driven the fire in Lahaina to spread and become uncontrollable.
The aforementioned airport in Kauhlui has registered a 40 mph gust (or stronger) three days in a row.
Lahaina rests downwind of the Wai`anae Range, meaning the easterly winds around Hurricane Dora accelerate toward the coast.
Gusts of 20-30 mph will continue Thursday, but the wind will weaken Friday into the weekend as high pressure becomes their most dominant weather feature.