A drier than average winter and spring contributed to a continued active fire season in late June.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
A drier than average winter and spring contributed to a continued active fire season in late June.
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 Jun 24, 8:55 PM MST, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 855 PM MST SUN JUN 24 2012 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO ARIZONA FROM THE EAST WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS AND INCREASING MOISTURE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AS A RESULT...EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. A DRIER AIR MASS WILL BEGIN TO PUSH ACROSS THE NORTHLAND BY MIDWEEK...WITH A DECREASING CHANCE OF STORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. && .DISCUSSION...ARIZONA REMAINS LOCKED BETWEEN A DEEP LATE-SEASON LOW JUST WEST OF THE CALIFORNIA/OREGON BORDER...AND A STRONG RIDGE OVER KANSAS. THIS PUTS OUR REGION IN DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...BEFORE THE LOW EJECTS EASTWARD AND DRIES US OUT BY WEDNESDAY. BEFORE THAT HAPPENS...TONIGHT...MONDAY AND TUESDAY WILL FEATURE INCREASING MCS ACTIVITY SOUTH OF THE BORDER...AND HIGHER PW VALUES FLOWING NORTHWARD. ONCE OUR BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTENS FURTHER...WE WILL SEE MORE PRODUCTIVE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. AS MENTIONED...THIS PROCESS WILL PEAK TUESDAY...AND THEN DRY OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. ONCE THE MOISTURE RETREATS...IT WILL NOT GO FAR...SO ANY CHANGES IN THE UPPER PATTERN COULD RETURN US TO ACTIVE WEATHER RATHER QUICKLY. THE GRIDS HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT LESS ACTIVITY TONIGHT AND WE WILL INCREASE POPS ON THE NEXT SHIFT FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 06Z PACKAGE...THROUGH 17Z MON... LIGHT WINDS. SCT-BKN CLOUDS WITH BASES AOA 15 KFT MSL ACROSS NORTHEAST AZ AND SKC ELSEWHERE. AFT 17Z MON...SFC WINDS S-SW 10-20KT GUSTS TO 25 KT. WIDELY SCATTERED HIGH-BASED -SHRA/-TSRA PRODUCING MAINLY VIRGA AND ERRATIC SFC WINDS. ISOLD MICROBURSTS PSBL. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...MONDAY AND TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST AND LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL MAINTAIN A SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE REGION. MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BOTH DAYS...HOWEVER...A VERY HOT BOUNDARY LAYER WILL REMAIN SO THAT MOST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO EVAPORATE BEFORE REACHING THE GROUND AND LITTLE OR NO MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN A REDUCTION OF THE HAINES INDEX AND WILL ALLOW BETTER OVERNIGHT RECOVERY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE MOIST FLOW WILL WEAKEN DURING THIS PERIOD AND CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE...HOWEVER ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA TO ALLOW MODERATE OVERNIGHT RECOVERY. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.........PETERSON AVIATION.......DB/DL FIRE WEATHER...DB FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Turkey Fire started about 10 miles northwest of Heber and was reported around 230 AM on June 25. The fire was contained at about 80 acres by the end of the day on June 26.
The Canyon Fire was reported in Jacks Canyon about 30 miles southwest of Winslow just after 700 AM on June 29. The fire was contained at 6935 acres on July 5.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, June 2012
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: 396019, 396025.