Late afternoon thunderstorms moved across portions of the Phoenix metropolitan area. One cloud to ground lightning strike apparently started a brush fire near the Gila River southwest of Phoenix.
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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.
The episode as NWS PSR wrote it up.
Late afternoon thunderstorms moved across portions of the Phoenix metropolitan area. One cloud to ground lightning strike apparently started a brush fire near the Gila River southwest of Phoenix.
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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 25, 4:15 PM MST, 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 415 PM MST WED JUN 25 2008 SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION .UPDATED...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...A WEAK IMPULSE WILL COMBINE WITH ADDED MOISTURE TO GIVE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE EAST OF PHOENIX TONIGHT. AS THE HIGH SHIFTS TOWARD THE NORTH...A DRYING TREND WILL MEAN HOTTER DAYS BY THE WEEKEND. HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD REACH NEAR 110 DEGREES BY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...CONTINUING INTO NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... THE REMAINS OF THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL IMPULSE THAT SWEPT THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST PART OF AZ...IS NOW LIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST...ALONG THE NEW MEXICO LINE. A SECONDARY AREA OF DEVELOPMENT HAS TAKEN SHAPE TO THE WEST OF TUCSON...AND A NORTH-SOUTH LINE OF BUILDUPS WAS DRIFTING TO THE NORTH BY 2000 UTC. THERE WAS SOME LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE THAT MAY HAVE AIDED IN THIS FORMATION...AND THE LATEST WRF PICKED UP ON A WEAK PLUME OF HIGHER DEW POINTS ADVECTING INTO THE PHOENIX-GLOBE AREA BY THIS EVENING. LATEST GFS-BASED MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME MINOR CAPE AND WILL INSERT THE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WORDING FOR THE METRO AREA. MAY HAVE SOME AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAINLY ACROSS ZONE 28 WITH THE STRONGER CELLS. FOR TOMORROW...THE MODEL SOUNDINGS STILL RETAIN A FAIR AMOUNT OF PRECIP WATER...AND MINOR CAPE TO SUPPORT THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS IN ZONE 24. WITH WEAKER WINDS ALOFT ON FRIDAY...AND SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR...THE MINOR DECREASE IN POPS FOR ZONE 24 LOOK FINE. IN THE LONGER TERM...THE GFS KEEPS THE BEST MOISTURE PROFILES TO THE EAST OF US...WITH LITTLE DAY TO DAY CHANGE IN RH. AS THE UPPER RIDGE TAKES ON A MORE ELONGATED SHAPE BY THE WEEKEND...500MB HEIGHTS RAMP UP SOMEWHAT...AND MAX TEMPS NEAR 110 STILL APPEAR ON TARGET FOR THE PHOENIX METRO. LATEST ECMWF ALSO SHOWS A POORLY-DEFINED CENTER OF THE UPPER RIDGE...AND THERE IS STILL NO STRONG INDICATION YET OF A MAJOR UPSWING IN HUMIDITY ACROSS OUR CWA. LATEST GFS ENSEMBLE MOS GIVES US AVERAGE DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 40S OR LOWER 50S THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... 00Z TAFS WILL INCLUDE A STRONGER MENTION OF TSTMS AT KPHX/KIWA. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY COMING UP FROM THE S WILL BRING SOME GUSTY SLY WINDS AND REDUCED VSBY TO KIWA...BUT NOT EXPECTING THAT OUTFLOW BOUNDARY TO IMPACT KPHX. STORMS POPPING TO THE SW OF KPHX WILL BE IN THE VC FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS...SMALL CHANGE /LESS THAN 20 PER./ THAT CELL WILL MOVE DIRECTLY OVER THE TERMINAL. STORMS WILL LIKELY BRING SOME GUSTY SLY WINDS TO KPHX OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. ACTIVITY DCRG AFTER 02-03Z. OUT WEST...GENERALLY SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH CLEAR SKIES WILL CONTINUE AT KIPL/KYUM/KBLH AND SURROUNDING AIRFIELDS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS. && .FIRE WEATHER... MOISTURE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA LEADING TO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. STORMS WILL BE DRY...PRODUCING LITTLE PRECIPITATION...YET GENERATING STRONG GUSTY OUTFLOWS CAPABLE OF SPREADING INTO THE LOWER DESERTS. DRY AND HOT CONDITIONS PERSIST REGION-WIDE AS MINIMUM HUMIDITY LEVELS REMAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO LOWER TEENS...WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX DISCUSSION...SIPPLE AVIATION...INIGUEZ/WANEK FIRE WEATHER...MEYERS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 514 AM MST WED JUN 25 2008 AZZ024-261215- SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS- 514 AM MST WED JUN 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY. STORMS WILL HAVE HIGH CLOUD BASES WHICH PROMOTE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS TO NEAR 50 MPH. LIGHTNING STRIKES IN COMBINATION WITH GUSTY WINDS ALSO PROMOTE HIGH FIRE DANGER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE THREAT FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ020-021-025-026-CAZ031>033-261215- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AZ-WEST CENTRAL DESERTS- YUMA/MARTINEZ LAKE AND VICINITY-SOUTHWEST DESERTS- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA-RIVERSIDE COUNTY/EASTERN DESERTS- IMPERIAL COUNTY- 514 AM MST WED JUN 25 2008 /514 AM PDT WED JUN 25 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA...SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY EXCEED 110 DEGREES THIS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...TEMPERATURES THIS HIGH ARE STILL CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. AZZ022-023-027-028-261215- NORTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-GREATER PHOENIX AREA- SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY- NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY- 514 AM MST WED JUN 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AFTERNOON MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN ARIZONA HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG WESTWARD MOVING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WHICH COULD GENERATE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH. WINDS THIS STRONG HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DUST STORMS AND LOW VISIBILITIES BETWEEN PHOENIX AND CASA GRANDE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE THREAT FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY EXCEED 110 DEGREES THIS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...TEMPERATURES THIS HIGH ARE STILL CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. CAZ030-261215- JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK- 514 AM PDT WED JUN 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY REACH 105 DEGREES THIS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...TEMPERATURES THIS HIGH ARE STILL CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:18 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Ethan Fire was sparked by lightning on the 25th, and grew to over 5,000 acres several days later. Estimated cost to fight the fire was about $700,000.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, June 2008
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: 99674.