The Wildhorse Complex started as two fires (Wildhorse and Red) on July 21, 2009. This natural fire was managed for resource benefits.
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.
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 FGZ wrote it up.
The Wildhorse Complex started as two fires (Wildhorse and Red) on July 21, 2009. This natural fire was managed for resource benefits. The fire was contained on August 27th at 13,790 acres.
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 Jul 31, 9:00 PM MST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 900 PM MST FRI JUL 31 2009 .SYNOPSIS...ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...WILL DEVELOP AGAIN ON SATURDAY...WITH LESSER CHANCES ON SUNDAY AS THE HIGHER PRESSURE RIDGE STRENGTHENS ACROSS THE REGION. AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE AND GREATER CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FELL APART FAIRLY QUICKLY AFTER SUNSET...WITH A FEW CU AND ACU STILL OVER NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATES. THE REST OF THE OVERNIGHT PORTION OF THE FORECAST LOOKS GOOD...NO UPDATES ARE PLANNED TO EITHER THE GRIDDED OR ZONE FORECASTS. THE 00Z NAM12 SHOWING ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD...THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE WILL MIGRATE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY AND TAKING UP A POSITION JUST TO THE EAST OVER NEW MEXICO ON SUNDAY. THE RIDGE IS FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN WITH HIGHER 500 MB HEIGHTS BY SUNDAY SO THAT ANY SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A DRIER AND MORE STABLE ATMOSPHERE. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO GO UP A DEGREE OR TWO EACH DAY THIS WEEKEND DUE TO THE BUILDING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION /230 PM MST/...IN THE PAST 24 HOURS SURFACE TEMPS ARE UP A FEW DEGREES AND DEWPOINTS DOWN 3 TO 7 DEGREES MOST LOCATIONS. RELATIVELY DRY WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW HAS KEPT THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY DOWN AGAIN WITH ONLY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. WITHOUT ANY SUPPORTING DYNAMICS...DISSIPATION OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE FAIRLY RAPID THIS EVENING WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR. HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE AXIS CURRENTLY ORIENTED OVER EXTREME WESTERN ARIZONA WILL SLOWLY MOVE TO THE EAST...AND STRENGTHEN THIS WEEKEND IN RESPONSE TO THE STRONG CUT OFF LOW OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. SURFACE TEMPS WILL INCREASE A FEW MORE DEGREES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS IN RESPONSE TO WARMER...AND RELATIVELY DRY AIR ALOFT. ONLY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. GFS AND ECMWF MODELS BOTH SHOW THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH SETTLING IN OVER NEW MEXICO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INCREASING MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW...AND AN INCREASE IN THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 06Z PACKAGE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE MAINLY CLEAR SKIES AND VFR CONDITIONS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON TO AROUND SUNSET...LINGERING MONSOON MOISTURE WILL BRING PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.......................TC AVIATION.....................TC VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 945 AM MST FRI JUL 31 2009 AZZ004>018-037>040-010830- KAIBAB PLATEAU-MARBLE AND GLEN CANYONS-GRAND CANYON COUNTRY- COCONINO PLATEAU-YAVAPAI COUNTY MOUNTAINS- NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS HWY 264 NORTHWARD-CHINLE VALLEY- CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY- WESTERN MOGOLLON RIM-EASTERN MOGOLLON RIM-WHITE MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN GILA COUNTY-YAVAPAI COUNTY VALLEYS AND BASINS- OAK CREEK AND SYCAMORE CANYONS-BLACK MESA AREA- NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264- 945 AM MST FRI JUL 31 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ONLY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MOSTLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS WITH ONLY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH MORE NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ANTICIPATED MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Wildhorse Complex started as two fires (Wildhorse and Red) on July 21, 2009. This natural fire was managed for resource benefits. The fire was contained on August 27th at 13,790 acres.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2009
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: 195248.