A perfect storm of weather conditions led to the massive inferno that has killed dozens of people in Maui.
August 10, 2023, 9:37 PMA helicopter with the Hawaii Army National performs aerial water bucket drops on wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 9, 2023. Brushfires on Maui's west coast -- fueled by high winds from a hurricane passing to the south -- broke out Tuesday and rapidly engulfed the seaside town of Lahaina.
The fires, which sparked Tuesday night, were fueled by an unfortunate combination of a landscape parched by drought conditions and strong winds.High pressure created strong trade winds, across the eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricane Dora, passed 750 miles south of Hawaii strengthening pressure gradient across the Pacific Ocean and enhancing wind gusts. Some of the wind gusts across Hawaii were 67 to 82 mph.
A satellite image of Hurricane Dora passing just south of Hawaii's Big Island, Aug. 7. 2023. Dora was moving west at 23 mph. with maximum sustained winds of 130 mphIn addition, parts of Maui, including much of the island's west coast, are currently under severe drought, according to the
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