Two lightning caused fires near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were allowed to burn to meet management ecological and protection objectives. The Game Reserve fire started on May 29 about nine miles southeast of the Grand Canyon Village in the Grand Canyon National Park.
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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 FGZ wrote it up.
Two lightning caused fires near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were allowed to burn to meet management ecological and protection objectives. The Game Reserve fire started on May 29 about nine miles southeast of the Grand Canyon Village in the Grand Canyon National Park. The Ruby started on May 25 about six miles southeast of Tusayan on the Kaibab National Forest. The fires merged and became the Ruby Complex. The Complex burned more than 4,600 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 May 31, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 830 PM MST SUN MAY 31 2009 .SYNOPSIS...A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA THIS EVENING. SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT WITH DRIER WEATHER AND A WARMING TREND STARTING ON MONDAY. LOW CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDWEEK. && .DISCUSSION...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD TO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DECREASED TODAY COMPARED TO SATURDAY...WITH ALMOST NO ACTIVITY IN YAVAPAI AND GILA COUNTIES. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA WILL SLOWLY DRIFT EASTWARD OVERNIGHT WITH MORE STABLE CONDITIONS AND LESS MOISTURE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS TRANSLATES INTO A DRYING TREND STARTING ON MONDAY WITH LOWER CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND PRECIPITATION AND WARMER TEMPERATURES DUE TO LESS CLOUD COVER AND SHOWER ACTIVITY. LOWERING CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION IN THE FORECAST GRIDS FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. && .PREV DISCUSSION 130 PM... THE WEAKENING UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST COLORADO BY MONDAY AFTERNOON WITH A BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER ARIZONA. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAINING MONDAY AFTERNOON TO ALLOW AN ISOLATED THREAT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE MOGOLLON RIM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST. BY TUESDAY...THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ALOFT IS FORECAST TO SET UP OVER THE ROCKIES WITH ARIZONA ON THE DOWN STREAM SIDE OF A CLOSED LOW THAT IS FORECAST TO BE OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. SINCE ARIZONA IS FORECAST TO BE BETWEEN THE HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE STATE WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR BREEZY TO WINDY AFTERNOON CONDITIONS TO BEGIN AFTER TUESDAY AND CONTINUE ON INTO THE WEEKEND. BY AROUND FRIDAY MODEL INCONSISTENCY HAVE BECOME LARGE. THE PREVIOUS MODEL FORECAST HAVE BEEN KEEPING THE LOW OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA WITH A STRONGER RIDGE OVER THE STATE. NOW THE LATEST MODEL RUNS ARE BRINGING THE CLOSED LOW INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH THE ECMWF MOVING THE LOW NORTH OF ARIZONA FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER LOW SETTING UP OFF THE CALIFORNIA/BAJA COAST BY SATURDAY. IN COMPARISON THE GFS KEEPS A WEAK LONGWAVE TROUGH ALONG THE COAST WITH A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF ENERGY MOVING NORTHEAST OVER NORTHWEST ARIZONA. FOR NOW IT WAS DECIDED TO GO WITH A BREEZY FORECAST WITH MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 06Z PACKAGE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. AFT 18Z MONDAY...THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH BASES AOA 14KFT MSL EAST OF A LINE FROM KANAB UT - WINDOW ROCK...AND A SLIGHT CHANCE WEST OF THIS LINE. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVERHEAD THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE EASTWARD TONIGHT. ON MONDAY...A DRIER SOUTHWEST TO WEST FLOW IS FORECAST...AND WILL PUSH THE CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON MAINLY HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS TO NORTH OF A LINE FROM KINGMAN TO WINDOW ROCK...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS SOUTH OF THIS LINE. THE DRYING TREND SHOULD CONTINUE ON TUESDAY WITH JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON STORMS EXPECTED. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE FOR SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO BRING MUCH DRIER AIR INTO ARIZONA FOR THIS PERIOD. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF HIGH BASED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A LINE FROM KINGMAN TO WINDOW ROCK ON WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE DRY WEATHER IS FORECAST THROUGH FRIDAY. AN APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SHOULD PRODUCE SOUTHWESTERLY 20 FOOT WINDS AT 15-25 MPH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS...WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROPPING TO THE 5 TO 15 PERCENT RANGE BOTH DAYS. .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.....................BOHLIN AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER......BOHLIN VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 333 AM MST SUN MAY 31 2009 AZZ004>007-009>017-039-040-010000- KAIBAB PLATEAU-MARBLE AND GLEN CANYONS-GRAND CANYON COUNTRY- COCONINO PLATEAU-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- BLACK MESA AREA-NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264- 333 AM MST SUN MAY 31 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING INTO NORTHEAST ARIZONA TODAY WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING LATE THIS MORNING AND CONTINUING INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STRONG STORMS TODAY IS EAST OF A LINE FROM PAGE...TO WINSLOW...TO SAINT JOHNS. SOME STORMS IN THIS AREA WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .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 Ruby Complex continued to burn with low intensity within the management area for much of the month of June. The Complex burned more than 4,600 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, June 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: 175525.