Wildfire in Utah, July 18 to 21, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Utah, July 18 to 21, 2002
Start: 2002-07-18T06:00
End: 2002-07-21T18:00
Location: Utah

July 18 to 21, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Canyon Complex consisted of the Hang Dog and Hammond wildfires. The Hang Dog fire occurred 8 miles northeast of La Sal, Utah, and the Hammond fire occurred 15 miles northwest of Blanding, Utah.

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 GJT wrote it up.

The Canyon Complex consisted of the Hang Dog and Hammond wildfires. The Hang Dog fire occurred 8 miles northeast of La Sal, Utah, and the Hammond fire occurred 15 miles northwest of Blanding, Utah. Both of these fires were caused by lightning. Combined, these fires consumed 9,800 acres of forest consisting of mixed timber and brush. These fires were contained on the 21st of July. The cost of fighting these fires was 1.6 million dollars.

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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 18, 2:00 AM MST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 2:00 AM MST, 4 hours before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
300 AM MDT THU JUL 18 2002

HEAT WAVE IS ON THE WANE WITH INCREASING MID LEVEL MOISTURE.  WARM
HIGH CORE WILL BE OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON.. THUS
CHANGING THE LIGHT WINDS ALOFT OVER WESTERN COLORADO TO A SOUTHERLY
COMPONENT.  WITH THIS CHANGE MEANS MORE MID LEVEL MOISTURE WITH
INCREASING PRECIPITABLE WATER.  CAN HARDLY SAY THAT THIS FLOW PATTERN
WILL RESULT IN A MONSOONAL SURGE OF MOISTURE.  BUT PRECIPITABLE WATER
AT FLAGSTAFF AND ALBUQUERQUE WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS ON
THEIR EVENING UPPER AIR DATA.. SO THIS IS AT LEAST A START.  EXPECT
TO SEE AN INCREASE OF SHOWER ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON.. WITH A LITTLE
MORE WETTING RAINS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND EXTENDING FARTHER NORTH.  A
COUPLE MORE DEGREES IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE SHAVED OFF WITH A
LITTLE MORE CLOUD AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER RELATIVE HUMIDITY.

BELIEVE THE TREND OF INCREASING MOISTURE AND LOWER AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY.  WEAK CLOSED UPPER LOW..
CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER SAN FRANCISCO.. SHEARS NORTHEASTWARD DUE TO
SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  THIS DOES
INCREASE MID LEVEL FLOW A LITTLE (ONLY 20 KNOTS AT THE H5 LEVEL)..
BUT SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW MOUNTAIN CONVECTION NOT TO COLLAPSE AS
QUICKLY AS THEY MOVE OVER THE LOWER VALLEYS.  THE CHANCES OF THE
LOWER VALLEYS OF OBSERVING RAIN WILL INCREASE (BUT STILL LESS THAN
50-50).  WILL INDICATE THESE TRENDS IN THE MORNING FORECAST PACKAGE.

OTHERWISE.. STILL AWAITING THE MONSOON TO REALLY ARRIVE.. AND THE
LATEST MRF DOES NOT OFFER MUCH HOPE THAT THIS WILL OCCUR IN THE NEAR
FUTURE.  FRISBIE

.GJT...NONE.

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, San Juan

When: July 18, 6:00 AM MST to July 21, 6:00 PM MST
Where: San Juan County, 8 mi NE of La Sal
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 37.626, -109.805 (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 Utah in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, July 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: 5317876.