Lightning struck Mohave Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. One park visitor was killed and five others were injured.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Lightning struck Mohave Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. One park visitor was killed and five others were injured.
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 Aug 4, 9:00 AM MST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 900 AM MST THU AUG 4 2011 .SYNOPSIS...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BEGIN TO PUSH DRIER AIR INTO WESTERN ARIZONA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A DOWNTURN IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE WHILE EASTERN AREAS WILL STILL SEE SCATTERED AFTERNOON STORMS. && .DISCUSSION...DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPING FROM WEAK LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE WESTERN U.S. WILL LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. EFFECTS ARE ANTICIPATED TO RATHER MINIMAL TODAY...WITH A MORE PRONOUNCED DECREASE IN MOISTURE FOR FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. WE WILL STILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON DEEPER MOISTURE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARIZONA. MODELS DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON HOW MUCH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN. STILL THINK THIS COULD MAKE FOR TRICKY FORECASTING FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM SOUTHWARD OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW HIGH PRESSURE EXPANDING WESTWARD BACK ACROSS ARIZONA...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DEEP MOISTURE AND AN INCREASING CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .AVIATION....FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...EXPECT SCT-BKN CU/SC WITH BASES FROM 8-11KFT AGL THROUGH 16Z-18Z. SCT SHRA/TSRA WILL DEVELOP AFT 17Z-19Z TODAY...MAINLY FROM KFLG SOUTHEAST AND EAST. DRIER AIR WILL LIMIT CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT NORTHWEST AND NORTH OF KFLG. EXPECT MVFR/LCL IFR CONDITIONS NEAR ANY HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC..................MCCOLLUM/KD AVIATION................41/PETERSON FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 600 AM MST THU AUG 4 2011 AZZ004>018-037>040-050945- 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- 600 AM MST THU AUG 4 2011 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 A MODESTLY MOIST AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR TODAY...WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FORMING FROM LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE EVENING. THREATS FROM THE STORMS INCLUDE HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. RECENT BURN AREAS...INCLUDING THE SCHULTZ...WALLOW...AND LOCUST ARE VULNERABLE TO FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE MONSOONAL MOISTURE WITH THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE DECREASING SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE NORTHLAND. STILL...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS WILL PERSIST...MAINLY ACROSS THE WHITE MOUNTAINS AND CHUSKA MOUNTAINS OF FAR EASTERN ARIZONA. MOISTURE MAY RETURN GRADUALLY EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The Cedar City radar (KICX), 180 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:45 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning killed a 64-year-old woman visiting the Grand Canyon National Park. It is unclear if the lightning directly hit the victim. Five additional park visitors, ages 45 to 68, were also injured. The event took place at Mohave Point.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Coconino | 2011-08-04 | 64 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2011
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: 338781.