Hurricane Dora and the tragic Maui wildfires

The general public and the media at large have been quick to correlate the strong winds that fanned the deadly Lahaina wildfires of August 8th 2023 with the passage of major Hurricane Dora some 500 nm to the south of Maui. In fact, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center discussed the possibility of retiring this storm’s name due to this perception. Through the analysis of observational data and numerical guidance, this talk will examine the meso- and synoptic-scale features surrounding this tragic event. Their collective roles in the development of strong downslope winds and extremely dry conditions will be presented.