Five fires were started by lightning on June 17 to 18 and were treated as a fire complex under one Incident Command Team. Combined, they burned just over 800 acres.
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.
Five fires were started by lightning on June 17 to 18 and were treated as a fire complex under one Incident Command Team. Combined, they burned just over 800 acres.
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 16, 9:00 PM MST, 3 hours earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 900 PM MST Wed Jun 16 2021 .SYNOPSIS...Record or near record high temperatures are expected to persist over the next several days. Excessive Heat Warnings remain in effect for portions of Yavapai, Coconino, and Navajo counties below 5000 feet. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are forecast each afternoon through at least Saturday, especially over the high terrain. && .DISCUSSION...Still some convective activity along the Mogollon Rim this evening. This activity may still persist over northern Gila and eastern Yavapai once it clears the Mogollon Rim, shouldn't be much left by Midnight MST. A weak storm over Holbrook produced a damaging gust front earlier today, so these high-based storms will continue to warrant attention, even if the radar signatures look unimpressive. Similar conditions will develop Thursday and maybe even SAturday. The, the ridge starts to reposition over central or even southern Arizona over the weekend and early next week. This will take some of the bite out of our temperatures and severely limit any remaining convection. Current trends/grids/forecast looks good, no updates this evening. && .AVIATION...For the 06Z package...Expect VFR conditions for the next 24 hours. Variable winds overnight becoming generally south to southwest at 10-15 kts with gusts to 20 kts along and northeast of higher terrain after 16Z, becoming light after 03Z Friday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will form over the higher terrain through the afternoon and into the early evening. Expect lightning and gusty outflow winds associated with these storms. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Very hot and mainly dry conditions will continue through Friday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible over the higher terrain each afternoon, with the primary threats of dry lightning and gusty outflow winds. Only very localized wetting rain is possible. Expect a Haines Index of 5-6 areawide. Saturday through Monday...Temperatures remain very warm, but decrease a few degrees. The chances for afternoon thunderstorms mostly over the White Mountains, becoming less each day. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Excessive Heat Warning until 6 PM MST Friday for AZZ005-006-008-012- 013-037-038. && PUBLIC...Peterson AVIATION...Byers FIRE WEATHER...Kobold/Byers 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.
Fire fires were started by lightning about five miles north of Paulden and west of Highway 89. The fires were: Rock Butte -126 acres, Red Hat 49 acres, Limestone 33 acres, Silent 27 acres, and Spring 567 acres.
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: 968828.