EVERY DAY WEDNESDAY HOME FOR, UH, TONGUE TWISTER. BUT ALL JOKES ASIDE, WE DO HAVE A PRETTY BAD SITUATION UNFOLDING RIGHT NOW IN HAWAII, MUCH OF THE HISTORIC TOWN OF LAHAINA IS BELIEVED TO BE GONE DOZENS OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES. THEY'VE BEEN DESTROYED. THE COAST GUARD USED A HELICOPTER AND A BOAT TO RESCUE PEOPLE. WHO LITERALLY JUMPED INTO THE OCEAN TO ESCAPE FROM THE FLAMES AND SMOKE. THE WILDFIRES WERE BEING CALLED THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN THE STATE. IN 30 YEARS I WAS BACK IN 1993. WHEN HURRICANE INIKI HIT FIREFIGHTERS, THEY'RE UP AGAINST A MULTITUDE OF WHETHER CHALLENGES ERRATIC WINDS, SOME GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES AN HOUR. WE HAVE LOW HUMIDITY, HUMIDITY CHALLENGING TERRAIN. WE HAVE FIRE WEATHER WARNINGS, WHICH REMAIN IN EFFECT AND NOTICE WHERE THEY'RE AT ON THE WESTERN SIDE. OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS JANE AND CRAIG BECAUSE THE WINDS ARE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT. WE LOOK AT THE CURRENTS AND WE'LL WE'LL GET TO THE SETUP IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT'S BEEN EVOLVING IN THIS PART OF HAWAII, IT WAS REALLY LATE LAST NIGHT THAT THINGS BEGAN TO ERUPT. WE HAD HIGH WIND WARNINGS, IN EFFECT , DRIER VEGETATION. BUT WHERE WE'VE SEEN THE FIRE START IN LAHAINA THAT'S ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF MAUI. RIGHT TERRAIN, THE REASON AND YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RED ON THAT MAP, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING THE STRONGEST WINDS RIGHT? BUT A LOT OF THE WINDS ARE COMING DOWN OFF OF THE MOUNTAINS, COMPRESSING AND HEATING UP ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF EACH OF THOSE ISLANDS, BRINGING THE HUMIDITY WAY DOWN IN THE WIND GUSTS WAY UP, SO, YEAH, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT WINDY ON THE WESTERNS ARE IN THE EASTERN SIDE HALF OF THE ISLAND. IT'S THE WESTERN HALF THAT'S GETTING THE DRY DOWN SLOPING WINDS. CAUSING THOSE FIRE CONCERNS OUT THERE AND OUTAGES. POWER OUTAGES KEEP GOING IN 19% AND THIS IS FROM MAUI COUNTY, WHICH BY THE WAY, MAUI, THE ISLAND BUT ALSO TO IT INCLUDES LANAI AROUND IT, AND THEN MOLLICA UP TO THE NORTH THERE, AND SO YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MULTIPLE AREAS DEALING WITH POWER OUTAGES, AND I'LL KNOW A LOT OF THE FIRE. DANGER HAS BEEN ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF MAUI. YOU KNOW WHERE WE HAVE LAHAINA, BUT YOU HAVE THE SMOKE THAT'S NOW BEING TRANSFERRED TO THESE OTHER ISLANDS BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH VEGETATION IS BURNING. YOU HAVE THOSE EASTERLY TRADE WINDS THAT ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN PLAY FOR THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A DECENT PRESSURE GRADIENT RIGHT NOW, THAT'S WHAT'S HELPING TO REALLY FUNNEL IN THE STRONG THE STRENGTH OF THESE WOMEN FOCUS ON BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS THE SMOKE RIGHT OVER LANAI CITY AND WHERE THE FIRES HAVE REALLY BEEN BURNING ARE OVER LAHAINA . BUT IN KAHULUI, WHICH IS ON MAUI, IT'S THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED CITY KAHULUI THERE 1800 PASSENGERS OVERNIGHT TOOK SHELTER IN IN THE AIRPORT AS A RESULT OF THESE FIRES, WHICH ARE BURNING NOW ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF MAUI. THAT'S WHERE THE WINDS HAVE BEEN ORIGINATING AND WE'VE SEEN. IT'S HARD TO THERE'S A FEW DEAD ZONES THAT WERE WATCHING WITH RADAR HERE, MOUNTAINS RIGHT HERE, THE MOUNTAINS THERE AND THIS, PERHAPS SOME SIGNS OF WHERE WE'VE HAD THE FIRE. I MEAN, THE IMAGES WHICH WE'VE BEEN SHOWING YOU COMING OUT. IT'S ALMOST AS IF THESE FIRES RACE DOWN THE SLOPES RIGHT TOWARD LAHAINA, AND WE'VE HAD STRUCTURES CONFIRMS. STRUCTURES WHICH HAVE GONE COMPLETELY STEEP GRADIENT, THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN THERE TO THE EAST. IT'S 6000 FT IN ELEVATION A LITTLE HIGHER THAN 6000 FT. YOU GO TO THE TOWN OF LAHAINA, WHICH IS JUST 3 FT. ABOVE SEA LEVEL, SO THERE'S A HUGE DROP THE MOUNTAINS. THOSE MOUNTAINS ARE COMING DOWN FAST. IT'S NOT LIKE A GRADUAL DESCEND DOWN THERE COMING DOWN FAST AND EVEN COMPRESSING EVEN HOTTER AND FASTER. AND TO WRAP THIS UP. AS WE HAVE BEEN MENTIONING. WE HAVE A POWERFUL HURRICANE HURRICANE DORA RIGHT NOW SOUTH OF HAWAII. IT'S THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OF DORA AND THIS EXTREME. STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH, CREATING THIS WIND AND THIS COMPACTNESS
