High pressure over the western United States led to temperatures warming several degrees above normal into the low 100s. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, one fatality occurred due to the heat.
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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 PSR wrote it up.
High pressure over the western United States led to temperatures warming several degrees above normal into the low 100s. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, one fatality occurred due to the heat.
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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 1, 3:17 PM MST, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Phoenix AZ 317 PM MST Tue Jun 1 2021 .UPDATE...Updated Fire Weather Discussion. && .SYNOPSIS... Temperatures will warm through the middle of the week with afternoon highs in the 102 to 107 degree range along with moderate heat risk for many places through the rest of the workweek. A persistent weak upper level low and a slight uptick in moisture will result in a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms over the higher Arizona terrain most afternoons. Showers and storms are most favored to remain north and east of Phoenix but an isolated shower or thunderstorm may survive into the lower desert areas near Phoenix. A cooling trend is possible late in the weekend and early next week as low pressure increases from the west. && .DISCUSSION... The upper level RAP mesoscale analysis indicates N to E flow aloft on the north side of a closed cut-off low circulation over offshore Baja. A small vort max in NW MX is rotating out in front of the low. The skies are mostly clear across our region with northerly flow across the western States in advance of the strong ridge of high pressure building inland. There’s also some weak elevated CAPE south of Gila County. METSAT showed mostly clear skies across the region with convective CU and isolated mostly light showers/sprinkles and an isolated storm cell on radar returns forming across N and E and SE AZ. Mid-level WV shows some slightly elevated moisture across the lower deserts and some light patchy moisture with the cut-off low near Baja. Local ACARs soundings evolution showed W flow below 700 mb and NE flow above that with some elevated moisture near H5 and an above average PW near 0.65" which is near to slightly increased from yesterday. Yesterday’s high in Phoenix was 101 degrees. The month of May ended with 11 days of 100 degree plus days which is very near the normal of 100+ degree days for May in Phx. Today the warm-up continues with a highs of 102 to 104 in and around Phoenix and 103 to 106 out west. The models agree on the Baja cut-off low remaining mostly stationary through Thu as the ridge maintains strength over the West while only shifting slightly east also through Thu. As a result there is good confidence of the elevated heat persisting into Saturday. This will result in up to moderate heat risk and highs of 103-106 degrees in Phoenix and the lower deserts, and up to 104-109 out west. Highs are then expected stay close or just under this range on Sat. The lingering low pressure system will also make for low-end shower/storm chances each afternoon and evening through the late work week. The HREF family and the NMM6Km are still in good agreement on very isolated, weak high-terrain/Mogollon Rim showers/storms every afternoon and evening through Fri. These storms would be high-based storms with dry lightning and gusty outflow winds with little to no rainfall. The HRW FV3 may once again be a slightly more bullish outlier favoring slightly better coverage of storms E and near Phx. Although the low will be in position to rotate small vort disturbances across the area for a few days, it is still fairly weak and unable to attract more pronounced mid level (and BL) moisture, with the GEFs plume now showing PW spiking near 0.77" late this week. In addition there are still no IVT moisture plumes currently depicted in ensembles with this system. For Sat the Clusters analysis favors the ridge axis to the north flattening and shifting E with weak zonal troughing near the PAC NW. There is also flattened lingering high pressure and weak flow over the Desert SW along with dry conditions being favored. Tuesday Clusters depict differing positions of a W coast to W US trough with clusters 3 and 4 showing a slight potential for light QPF for central and S-Cent AZ likely associated with isolated showers and storms. There is slightly better confidence however for lower temperature from Sun and early next week associated with increasing low pressure from the W. && .AVIATION...Updated at 1720Z. South-Central Arizona including KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, and KDVT: Typical diurnal wind tendencies are expected through the day with a westerly wind shift spreading over all TAF sites by 19Z. Winds up to 8-12 kts with gusts up to 15-20 kts will be possible through the afternoon. Convective showers and storms will once again develop to the north and east of the metro this afternoon, with only a 5-10% chance of showers surviving into the metro this evening between 23-4Z. There is a better chance, 10-20%, of outflow winds pushing into the metro area this evening, with an easterly shift the most favorable direction. Terminals closer to the mountains will have a better chance of being affected by these outflow boundaries. Otherwise, the diurnal easterly shift should occur around 7-10Z. Cloud bases should mostly remain aoa 14 kft with FEW to SCT coverage at times. Southeast California/Southwest Arizona including KIPL and KBLH: Winds will favor the southeast at KIPL and south at KBLH through the TAF period. Speeds at KIPL will mostly remain aob 10 kts while KBLH sees winds increase up to 14-16 kts with gusts to 20-25 kts this afternoon. Skies will remain mostly clear aside from occasional cumulus around 15 kft and passing high clouds. && .FIRE WEATHER... Friday through Tuesday: Isolated thunderstorms, mainly over the AZ higher terrain, could drift into portions of Maricopa and Gila Counties, including the Tonto NF Thursday-Friday. The main threats with any storms, even distant ones, will be lightning and gusty outflow winds of 25-40 mph. Otherwise, the subtle moisture increase will not do much to improve RH with afternoon values dropping into the 7-15% range and overnight recoveries mostly in the 20-35% range. Outside of outflows, winds will generally be light to occasionally moderate and follow typical diurnal/terrain influences with afternoon breeziness. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters should follow standard reporting procedures. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...None. CA...None. && DISCUSSION...Sawtelle AVIATION...Hodges/Benedict FIRE WEATHER...Sawtelle/AD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
One indirect fatality was reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, North Phoenix/Glendale | 2021-06-01 | Unknown | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, June 2021
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: 1060980.