Name: Wildfire in Arizona, May 14, 2002
Start: 2002-05-14T12:46
End: 2002-05-14T12:46
Location: Arizona

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.

The Springer Fire burned 840 acres between Clint's Well and the Blue Ridge Ranger Station along Highway 87.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 9:00 AM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 14, 9:00 AM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes before

NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
900 AM MST MON MAY 14 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A DRY WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL SLIDE OVER THE STATE
TODAY AND WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL PRODUCE BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS ACROSS
THE NORTHLAND. THE DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE TO THE EAST ON THURSDAY.
LOOK FOR LIGHTER WINDS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE END
OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND.

.DISCUSSION...A SHORT-WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA
TODAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE AN INCREASE IN LOW- TO
MID-LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENTS AND STRONGER WINDS. AS DAYTIME VERTICAL
MIXING PROGRESSES THESE STRONGER WINDS WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE.
BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON EXPECT TO SEE SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS IN THE
20 TO 30 MPH RANGE OVER ELEVATIONS FROM 5000 FEET AND HIGHER.
OTHERWISE...MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES.
ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...A SPLIT FLOW DEVELOPS OVER ARIZONA WITH AN
UPPER RIDGE TO THE NORTH AND A WEAK TROUGH TO THE SOUTH. THIS WILL
RESULT IN WEAK PRESSURE GRADIENTS/WIND ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA WITH
ONLY THE TYPICAL AFTERNOON DIURNALLY FORCED BREEZES. IT WILL REMAIN
DRY.

MCCOLLUM

.FGZ...NONE.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES HI/LO           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TDY TON   WED     THU        TDY TON   WED   THU
FLAGSTAFF        073/038 072/037 073/036      000 000 000 000 000 000
WINSLOW          086/050 085/048 086/047      000 000 000 000 000 000
PRESCOTT         085/051 082/048 083/047      000 000 000 000 000 000
PAGE             086/060 085/059 085/058      000 000 000 000 000 000
WINDOW ROCK      076/030 075/029 076/028      000 000 000 000 000 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 082/038 081/037 082/036      000 000 000 000 000 000
COTTONWOOD       096/058 093/055 094/054      000 000 000 000 000 000
GRAND CANYON     077/040 076/039 077/038      000 000 000 000 000 000
GREER            073/037 072/036 073/035      000 000 000 000 000 000
HEBER            080/039 079/038 080/037      000 000 000 000 000 000
JACOB LAKE       070/041 069/040 070/039      000 000 000 000 000 000
NAVAJO N.M.      074/035 073/034 074/033      000 000 000 000 000 000
PAYSON           090/051 087/048 088/047      000 000 000 000 000 000
SEDONA           093/057 090/054 091/053      000 000 000 000 000 000
SELIGMAN         087/043 084/040 085/039      000 000 000 000 000 000
SHOW LOW         082/047 081/046 082/045      000 000 000 000 000 000
ST. JOHNS        083/047 082/045 083/044      000 000 000 000 000 000
WUPATKI N.M.     088/054 087/052 088/051      000 000 000 000 000 000

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Coconino

When: May 14, 12:46 PM MST
Where: Coconino County, Happy Jack
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, May 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5298897.