Abnormally dry conditions and strong winds allowed several fires to break out around the Flagstaff area over a two day period. The area had only received 64% of average rainfall since September.
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.
Abnormally dry conditions and strong winds allowed several fires to break out around the Flagstaff area over a two day period. The area had only received 64% of average rainfall since September.
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 Feb 22, 8:51 AM MST, 3 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 851 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 .SYNOPSIS...FAIR WEATHER AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY. BEGINNING LATE WEDNESDAY...THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS RETURN AS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS CROSSES ARIZONA. && .DISCUSSION...DRY AND MILD WEATHER IS IN STORE FOR NORTHERN AZ TODAY. EXPECT MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING WITH AN INCREASE IN HIGH CIRRUS CLOUDS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NO SHORT TERM FORECAST UPDATES WILL BE NEEDED THIS MORNING. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION (300 AM MST)...HIGH PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OFF THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE EARLY MORNING. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN MOVING THIS HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS THE WESTERN STATES FROM TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE NET RESULT WILL BE A CONTINUATION OF MILD WESTERLY FLOW WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PERIODS OF HIGH CLOUDINESS. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...STRONG JET STREAM FLOW WILL BEGIN TO UNDERCUT THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES PRODUCING A PAIR OF WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCES. AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE A VERY SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ON WEDNESDAY WITH A BETTER CHANCE ON THURSDAY. THESE DISTURBANCES WILL BE MOIST BUT RATHER WEAK IN TERMS OF UPWARD MOTION...ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY WILL BE PUSHED ALONG BY A STRONGER UPSTREAM SYSTEM WHICH WILL BE RAPIDLY APPROACHING. FRIDAY ONWARD...THE BULK OF THE JET STREAM ENERGY OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN WILL PUSH ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES. THE PERSISTENT HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE WEST SHOULD BE WEAKENED ENOUGH TO ALLOW A RESPECTABLE STORM SYSTEM TO PASS ACROSS ARIZONA. COMING STRAIGHT OFF THE PACIFIC OCEAN IT SHOULD ARRIVE WITH AMPLE MOISTURE. IN ADDITION...THE JET STREAM DYNAMICS FOR UPWARD MOTION LOOK DECENT. HOWEVER...AS WITH EVERY OTHER SYSTEM THIS YEAR...A FAIRLY COMPLICATED INTERACTION BETWEEN PRESSURE PATTERNS AND SOME ROOM FOR FAILURE STILL EXISTS. WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS UNDER OCCASIONAL HIGH CLOUDS THROUGH THE 24 HR FORECAST PERIOD. LIGHT SURFACE WINDS BECOMING WSW TO NW WINDS AROUND 10 KTS AND GUSTY THIS AFTERNOON...AND THEN LIGHT AGAIN AFTER 01Z. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.........MCS/MCCOLLUM AVIATION.......TC 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.
Nearly a half dozen fires broke out over the weekend due to the prolonged dry winter and breezy conditions. A fire north of Parks burned a house trailer and shed. A fire near Garland Prairie burned a travel trailer and a shed.
Five cars, a travel trailer, and a home under construction burned in a wild fire south of Leupp.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, February 2014
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: 497149, 497151.