Hawaiian Electric Installs Weather Stations to Lessen Wildfire Risk
Hawaiian Electric is installing a network of weather stations in wildfire-prone areas to provide key information about wind, temperature, and humidity to help the company better predict and respond to fire weather conditions.
The project includes the installation of 52 weather stations on four islands. The weather stations, mounted on Hawaiian Electric utility poles, will provide meteorological data that will help the company to decide whether to activate and deactivate a public safety power shutoff, or PSPS. Under the PSPS program launched July 1, 2024, we may preemptively shut off power in areas that are at high risk of wildfires during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions.
Hawaiian Electric will also be sharing weather station data with the National Weather Service (NWS), academic institutions, and other weather forecasting services to help improve the overall state’s ability accurately forecast potential fire weather conditions.
The weather stations are just one component of Hawaiian Electric's multi-pronged Wildfire Safety Strategy.