The Gladiator Fire started on May 13 when a house fire spread into the forest around the community of Crown King. The fire was contained on June 13 at 16,240 acres and cost about 14 million dollars to contain.
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 Gladiator Fire started on May 13 when a house fire spread into the forest around the community of Crown King. The fire was contained on June 13 at 16,240 acres and cost about 14 million dollars to contain.
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 13, 2:42 PM MST, 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 230 PM MST SUN MAY 12 2012 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE WARM AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS ARIZONA THROUGH MUCH OF THE COMING WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...A WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCE BRUSHING THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON HAS PRODUCED SOME ISOLATED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. FROM VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS ACTIVITY LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. AS A RESULT...HAVE EXTENDED THE THREAT OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE AREA FROM ABOUT WINDOW ROCK AND GANADO NORTHWARD. OTHERWISE...THE WEAK DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE EASTWARD LATER TONIGHT AND ON MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHEASTERLY TONIGHT AND MONDAY BEHIND THE DISTURBANCE. TUESDAY AND BEYOND...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA WITH DRY WEATHER AND WARMER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES FROM TUESDAY INTO THURSDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE THE WARMEST SO FAR THIS SEASON DURING THIS PERIOD. BY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...A DRY LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS CALIFORNIA WILL BRING GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES TO ARIZONA. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 00Z PACKAGE...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. SCATTERED CLOUD BUILDUPS NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS REGION MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL MOVE INTO ARIZONA FROM THE WEST BRINGING EASTERLY WINDS TOMORROW. ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON TUESDAY CAUSING WINDS TO SHIFT TO A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. EXPECT DRY HUMIDITIES WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...A PACIFIC TROUGH WILL MOVE IN ALONG THE WEST COAST. DRY AND WARM WEATHER CONTINUES WITH A INCREASE IN WIND SPEEDS ON FRIDAY. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.........MCCOLLUM AVIATION.......BOHLIN FIRE WEATHER...BOHLIN FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Gladiator Fire began burning on May 13 when a structure fire spread. A total of six structures were destroyed by the fire. Eight people suffered injuries. The fire, which covered approximately 16,240 acres, cost $14 million to contain.
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, May 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: 396033.