Arizona, 2023Wildfire in Arizona, July 1 to 12, 2023
July 1 to 12, 2023 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone
The human caused Beehive Fire started during the evening of June 30 north of Ruby Road in Santa Cruz County. Due to hot and dry conditions in early July, the fire spread to 300 acres on July 1, to 3000 acres in the rugged terrain of Beehive Canyon by July 3 and topped 10,000 acres by July 8 as it entered extreme southeast Pima County.
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.
The human caused Beehive Fire started during the evening of June 30 north of Ruby Road in Santa Cruz County. Due to hot and dry conditions in early July, the fire spread to 300 acres on July 1, to 3000 acres in the rugged terrain of Beehive Canyon by July 3 and topped 10,000 acres by July 8 as it entered extreme southeast Pima County. The fire consumed 10,745 acres before becoming fully contained on July 12. Fire suppression costs tallied nearly $5 million. The much smaller Beehive 2 Fire spotted just south of the Beehive Fire on July 8 and was aggressively suppressed, with costs tallying another $7 million.
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 1, 1:59 PM MST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 1, 1:59 PM MST, 5 hours 1 minute before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
159 PM MST Sat Jul 1 2023
.SYNOPSIS...High pressure will bring excessive heat with near
record highs into next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...Hot and dry to start July. Surface dewpoints are
back down in the 20s and precipitable water on the 12Z KTWC
sounding was a paltry 1/3 of an inch. Near record highs will be
the only weather story to speak of, possibly through the entire
week.
Strong high pressure building through Nevada, California and
Arizona will push Metro Tucson into another round of 110s+, with
both GEFS and ECMWF ensemble means supporting near record
850-700mb thicknesses most of the week. For now we've extended the
Excessive Heat Warning through Tuesday, but we may end up putting
heat headlines out for later in the week as well. Wednesday looks
like the only day that might slip under the mark as the high
weakens a little and shifts southeast from it's current position
before reconsolidating nearly overhead by Thursday or Friday.
The tropics have played a solid part in deepening available
moisture over the western half of Mexico, and there are some signs
of easterlies bringing the Gulf of Mexico into play through at
least central Mexico as well. However, we don't have a larger
scale mechanism to bring deep moisture this far north over any
sustainable period. Outside of border areas and decent portions of
Sonora and Chihuahua we really don't expect any rapid uptick in
thunderstorm chances any time soon.
&&
.AVIATION...valid through 03/00Z
SKC thru most of the valid period. After 03/20z FEW-SCT clouds AOA
13k ft AGL mainly S and E of KTUS. SFC winds thru 02/03z and after
02/19z NW 8-13 kts with ocnl gusts to 20 kts, otherwise light and
variable. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Dry conditions are expected through Friday with
the possible exception of isolated afternoon and evening t-storms
getting close to the New Mexico state line and the International
Border near Cochise County. Min RH values will be 5-10 percent
through Monday and 10-20 percent the rest of the week. 20-foot winds
will mostly be terrain driven with typical afternoon gustiness. The
strongest afternoon winds will be in the Upper Gila River Valley,
but will remain below critical thresholds. Well above normal high
temperatures will prevail.
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM MST Tuesday for AZZ501-502-505.
Excessive Heat Warning from 10 AM Sunday to 8 PM MST Monday for
AZZ503-504-506-509.
&&
Meyer/Glueck
Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
Wildfire, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys
- When
- July 1, 7:00 PM MST to July 12, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
- Coordinates
- 31.812, -111.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The human caused Beehive Fire started during the evening of June 30 north of Ruby Road in Santa Cruz County. Due to hot and dry conditions in early July, the fire spread to 300 acres on July 1, to 3000 acres in the rugged terrain of Beehive Canyon by July 3 and topped 10,000 acres by July 8 as it entered extreme southeast Pima County. The fire consumed 10,745 acres before becoming fully contained on July 12. Fire suppression costs tallied nearly $5 million. The much smaller Beehive 2 Fire spotted just south of the Beehive Fire on July 8 and was aggressively suppressed, with costs tallying another $7 million.
- 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 and Heat in Arizona, July 1 to 9, 202313 deaths · 9 events
- Excessive Heat in Arizona, July 1 to 5, 202311 deaths · 24 events
- Excessive Heat in Nevada, July 1 to 3, 20235 deaths · 5 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, July 1, 20233 deaths · $500,000 · 1.5 in hail · 18 events
- Drought in South Dakota, July 1 to 31, 2023$93 million · 22 events
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Alabama, July 1, 2023$7.9 million · 74 kt wind · 33 events
- Rip Currents in Florida, July 1, 20231 death · 1 injured · 2 events
- Excessive Heat in California, July 1 to 3, 20231 death · 7 events
- Rip Current in North Carolina, July 1, 20231 death · 1 event
- Excessive Heat and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, July 1, 2023$596,000 · 61 kt wind · 59 events
- Wildfire in Idaho, July 1 to 31, 2023$9.2 million · 1 event
- Wildfire in Colorado, July 1 to 31, 2023$4.0 million · 1 event
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: 1123398.