Wildfire in Arizona, May 19 to 23, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Arizona, May 19 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-05-19T14:00
End: 2002-05-23T18:00
Location: Arizona

May 19 to 23, 2002 · NWS FGZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Tram fire burned 191 acres ten miles south of Happy Jack on the southern side of West Clear Creek Canyon. The fire was human caused.

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.

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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 Tram fire burned 191 acres ten miles south of Happy Jack on the southern side of West Clear Creek Canyon. The fire was human caused.

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 19, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 19, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
930 AM MST SUN MAY 19 2002

.SYNOPSIS...EXPECT WARM AND WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE
MOVES EAST OF THE STATE. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE NEW MEXICO BORDER. ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A
DRY STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA BRINGING WINDY
CONDITIONS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FOR
THE END OF THE WEEK WITH WARM DAYS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES.

.DISCUSSION...OPERATIONAL MODEL WINDS THIS MORNING ARE OFF AROUND 20
KNTS...TOO LOW...THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN COMPARED TO SOUNDING
AT FLAGSTAFF AND THE VAD WIND PROFILE. EITHER THE LOW OFF THE BAJA
COAST IS STRONGER THAN MODELS THINK OR THE THERMAL LOW MAY BE
ENHANCING THE SYNOPTIC FLOW...EITHER WAY THE MODELS ARE UNDER
FORECASTING THE WINDS. GIVEN THE OBSERVATIONS WE WILL BE ISSUING A
WIND ADVISORY TODAY...SINCE THE SOUNDING AND VAD WIND PROFILE ARE
SHOWING 40 TO 50 KNTS BETWEEN 700 MB AND 550 MB. SOUNDING FORECASTS
INDICATE MIXING UP THROUGH 550 MB TODAY. YESTERDAY WE HAD A SIMILAR
PROBLEM WITH THE WIND FORECAST BEING TO LOW...WHICH AFFECT OUR
FORECAST PRODUCTS.

YUM 88D SHOWING DEEP MOIST LAYER UP TO AROUND 5000 FEET WITH 20 TO
30 KNT TRANSPORT SPEED...THIS MOISTURE MAY BE PICK UP IN SYSTEM
COMING ACROSS THE AREA FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...RIGHT NOW MODELS ARE
DRY...AND SINCE MODELS ARE MUCH WEAKER WITH THE FLOW TODAY...THIS
MAY BE A REASON WHY THEY ARE STILL SO DRY ON MONDAY. YUMS DEW
POINTS HAVE JUMPED INTO THE MID 40 SO FAR TODAY. GIVE THAT A SYSTEM
IS APPROACHING FROM THE WEST AND THE FLOW WILL BE INCREASING AND
BACKING IN EASTERN CALIFORNIA...THE MOISTURE WILL MOST LIKELY STAY
TO THE WEST TODAY...HOWEVER MONDAY IT MAY AFFECT OUR FORECAST AREA.

TC

.FGZ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FROM 11 AM UNTIL 8PM FOR MOST OF NORTHERN
       ARIZONA EXCLUDING YAVAPAI COUNTY...NORTHERN GILA
       COUNTY...ZONE 10...11...14...17 AND 18.

       RED FLAG WARNING TODAY FROM 11 AM UNTIL 7 PM MST FOR ALL
       NORTHERN ARIZONA FIRE WEATHER ZONES.

    ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALL NORTHERN
       ARIZONA FIRE WEATHER ZONES.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES HI/LO           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TDY TON   MON     TUE        TDY TON   MON   TUE
FLAGSTAFF        075/038 070/034 058/029      000 000 000 000 000 000
WINSLOW          087/051 086/049 076/044      000 000 000 000 000 000
PRESCOTT         083/050 076/044 068/039      000 000 000 000 000 000
PAGE             091/062 085/058 072/053      000 000 000 000 000 000
WINDOW ROCK      079/041 075/037 066/032      000 000 000 000 000 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 085/049 081/045 072/040      000 000 000 000 000 000
COTTONWOOD       094/057 087/051 079/046      000 000 000 000 000 000
GRAND CANYON     079/040 074/036 062/031      000 000 000 000 000 000
GREER            075/037 070/033 058/028      000 000 000 000 000 000
HEBER            082/039 077/035 065/030      000 000 000 000 000 000
JACOB LAKE       072/041 067/037 055/032      000 000 000 000 000 000
NAVAJO N.M.      077/046 073/042 064/037      000 000 000 000 000 000
PAYSON           088/050 081/044 073/039      000 000 000 000 000 000
SEDONA           091/056 084/050 076/045      000 000 000 000 000 000
SELIGMAN         085/042 078/036 070/031      000 000 000 000 000 000
SHOW LOW         084/047 079/043 067/038      000 000 000 000 000 000
ST. JOHNS        084/048 083/046 073/041      000 000 000 000 000 000
WUPATKI N.M.     089/055 088/053 078/048      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 19, 2:00 PM MST to May 23, 6:00 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

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: 5298979.