Wildfire in Arizona, June 1 to 30, 2017

Name: Wildfire in Arizona, June 1 to 30, 2017
Start: 2017-06-01T14:02
End: 2017-06-30T23:59
Location: Arizona

June 1 to 30, 2017 · NWS FGZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Where it happened

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.

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Tropical storms and surge
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Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.

The Boundary Fire was started by lightning near the boundary of the Coconino National Forest and the Kaibab National Forest on the northeast side of Kendrick Peak in Kendrick Mountain Wilderness. The Pumpkin Fire (2000) was in this same area which left significant dead and down trees and forest debris. Snags (standing dead trees), steep slopes and overall hazardous terrain led fire officials to use a much safer indirect approach to fight this fire. They let the fire burn to a system of roads at the base of the mountain.

What forecasters said that day

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 1, 9:55 AM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 1, 9:55 AM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
955 AM MST Thu Jun 01 2017

.SYNOPSIS...Lingering moisture and instability will bring
afternoon showers and thunderstorms to areas along and north of the
Mogollon Rim and White Mountains today. Warmer and drier conditions
will develop heading into the weekend and next week. A lingering
chance of showers and thunderstorms will persist through Sunday or
Monday over the White Mountains.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A large trough over much of the western United States
has two distinct areas of rotation this morning. The first area is
located over southeastern Arizona, with a second area over central
and northern Nevada. This means there is some weak diffluence aloft
over far northern Arizona and some colder air and weak lift aloft
over southeast and eastern Arizona.

Residual moisture from yesterday convection and westward moving
outflows, along with mid-level moisture associated with the trough,
will combine for more isolated to scattered high-based storms today.
In general, the coverage will not be as great as drier air and
subsidence begins to develop later today, but coverage will be a bit
higher than previously thought.

Hghts rise over the weekend and into next week as the trough exits
the region. Residual moisture and cooler air aloft will be slow to
exit our far eastern zones and isolated convection will persist near
the White Mtns through the weekend. Most other areas will see
drying and a substantial warming trend.

Zones/grids look good, no updates this morning.

&&

.AVIATION...For the 18Z package...Mainly VFR conditions will
continue for the next 24 hours. Isolated to scattered high-based
thunderstorms will develop along and north of a KGCN-KFLG-KSOW line
aft 18Z. Strong and erratic surface winds are likely in the vicinity
of storms, otherwise expect south-southwest winds from 10-20 knots
through sunset. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...Lingering moisture will bring isolated to
scattered afternoon thunderstorms along and north of the
Mogollon Rim today, with storms confined to the eastern third
of the state Friday. Gusty and erratic winds are likely near storms,
with generally light south-southwest winds elsewhere.

Saturday through Monday...Mainly dry conditions, light winds and
above normal temperatures are forecast through the weekend. A slight
chance of high based thunderstorms will persist along the New Mexico
border. Southwest winds may increase modestly on Monday.

&&

.FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

PUBLIC...Peterson
AVIATION...MCT
FIRE WEATHER...JJ

For Northern Arizona weather information visit
weather.gov/flagstaff

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Western Mogollon Rim

When: June 1, 2:02 PM MST to June 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Boundary Fire burned through 17,788 acres in the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness. This was a lightning caused fire. An indirect suppression strategy was implemented due to the significant safety concerns of putting fire personnel in certain areas on the mountain. Structures near the top of the mountain (including a fire lookout tower and an historic cabin) were successfully saved. The fire burned through timber and litter in understory, short grass, and heavy logging slash. There was also heavy down and dead debris from Pumpkin Fire in 2000.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, June 2017

Sources

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: 706876.