Arizona, 2018Wildfire in Arizona, July 24 to 31, 2018
July 24 to 31, 2018 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Lightning ignited the Bruno Fire just east of Leslie Canyon Wildlife Refuge on July 24th. The fire spread into the Pedrogosa Mountains and burned over 4000 acres before becoming contained a week later.
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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- 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.
Lightning ignited the Bruno Fire just east of Leslie Canyon Wildlife Refuge on July 24th. The fire spread into the Pedrogosa Mountains and burned over 4000 acres before becoming contained a week later. Lightning also sparked the 600 acre Howard Fire in the Dos Cabezas Mountains the same day and the 1700 acre Winchester Fire in the Winchester Mountains a day later. Both were also contained fairly quickly due to high humidity and monsoonal rainfall. No property was damaged in any of the wildfires.
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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 24, 2:47 AM MST, 7 hours 13 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 2:47 AM MST, 7 hours 13 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
247 AM MST Tue Jul 24 2018
.SYNOPSIS...Expect very hot daytime temperatures through
tomorrow with record highs likely. Isolated to scattered
thunderstorms through midweek will mainly occur near the
mountains. Thereafter, more extensive thunderstorm coverage will
prevail late this week and especially this weekend as temperatures
moderate closer to seasonal normals.
&&
.DISCUSSION...It was a fairly quiet night with just a few showers
and thunderstorms in Cochise County that dissipated by midnight.
Current IR imagery shows scattered clouds across the CWA with
dewpoints ranging from upper 40's to low 50's. The cloud cover
will help keep low temperatures on the warm side and above
average.
Deterministic and ensemble models keep the 600 dm high centered
over southern Arizona for the next couple of days. As it did
Monday, this will lead to record/near record high temperatures
today and Wednesday. As a result the Excessive Heat Warning
remains in effect for areas below 5000 feet until 8 pm MST
Wednesday. Thereafter temperatures start to decrease becoming near
normal Friday onward.
Today, the best precip chances are to the south and east of
Tucson where isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are
expected. Hi-res models depict storms forming in the early
afternoon over the White Mountains and in Santa Cruz County along
the international border. Wednesday will likely see a similar
scenario with isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms
mainly east of Tucson.
Starting late Wednesday night the area of high pressure will
begin shifting towards the northwest. This will result in
northeasterly to easterly flow aloft which will allow more
moisture to move into southeast Arizona. As a result storm
coverage will be able to move further west and include Tucson
starting Thursday. By the weekend into early next week isolated to
scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible area wide
during the afternoon through late evening each day.
&&
.AVIATION...Valid through 25/12Z.
Debris cloud cover will gradually diminish this morning. Expect
isolated to scattered -TSRA/-SHRA mainly near mountains this
afternoon and evening. Outflow wind gusts up to 40 kts near
thunderstorms otherwise surface wind variable in direction mainly
less than 12 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.
Be advised that very hot daytime temperatures are forecast to occur
through Wednesday. This extreme heat will cause density altitudes to
approach impact thresholds for some aircraft.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms into midweek
will mainly be confined to locations east to south of Tucson. A more
favorable flow regime will increase thunderstorm chances especially
Friday into early next week. Aside from gusty thunderstorm outflows,
20-foot winds will be terrain driven and generally under 15 mph. An
exception is this evening and Wednesday afternoon and evening, when
occasional gusts to 25 mph should occur across the Upper Gila River
Valley (including Safford).
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM MST Wednesday for AZZ501>509.
&&
Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
Wildfire, Chiricahua Mountains
- When
- July 24, 10:00 AM MST to July 31, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Chiricahua Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 31.880, -109.751 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning ignited the Bruno Fire just east of Leslie Canyon Wildlife Refuge on July 24. The fire spread into the Pedrogosa Mountains and burned 3038 acres on state lands and 1409 acres of the Coronado National Forest for a total of 4447 acres before becoming contained on July 31.
- 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.
- Excessive Heat in Nevada, July 24 to 28, 201817 deaths · 1 event
- Flash Flood and Hail in Colorado, July 24, 20181 death · $500,000 · 1.5 in hail · 18 events
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Colorado, July 24, 2018$2.0 million · 4 events
- Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in North Carolina, July 24 to 25, 2018$500,000 · 3 events
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, July 24 to 26, 2018$50,000 · 33 events
- Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, July 24 to 25, 2018$62,000 · 6 events
- Drought in Texas, July 24 to 31, 20189 events
- Excessive Heat and Heat in California, July 24 to 28, 20188 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, July 24, 20187 events
- Excessive Heat and Heat in California, July 24 to 28, 20186 events
- Hail in Colorado, July 24, 20181.75 in hail · 5 events
- Flooding in North Carolina, July 24 to 26, 20184 events
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: 768510.