The lightning-caused Ventana Fire started before sunrise June 20 on the edge of the Tucson Metro area in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The fire was contained by June 23 after it consumed 133 acres.
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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 TWC wrote it up.
The lightning-caused Ventana Fire started before sunrise June 20 on the edge of the Tucson Metro area in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The fire was contained by June 23 after it consumed 133 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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 20, 2:13 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 213 AM MST Tue Jun 20 2023 .SYNOPSIS...Dry with typical June heat for the workweek, then temperatures ramping up late in the weekend into the following week. Breezy to locally windy the first half of the week then more typical June breezes thereafter. && .DISCUSSION...Clear to mostly cloudy conditions prevailed early this morning across southeast Arizona under S/SW flow aloft out ahead of upper level trof well to our W/NW. Elevated convection with cloud tops cooling developed over the area with very light rain (sprinkles) expanding across the forecast after after 1 am. Even have seen a couple of lighting strikes. This activity will continue until around 9 am with any rain that makes it to the ground being rather light (sprinkles). Mostly trace amounts but can't rule out a few places recording a couple hundredths. Otherwise another breezy day with elevated fire weather conditions but below critical fire weather conditions. These conditions are expected each afternoon thru Friday with daily temperatures right around climatological norms. Turning hotter Sunday with hotter yet temperatures and associated elevated heat risk issues expected all of next week for the first heat wave of 2023. Local forecast thickness study suggests that Tucson could be in for a stretch of 110+ highs next week. A few daily record highs are likely to fall across the area next week also. && .AVIATION...valid through 21/12Z. SCT-BKN clouds above 12k ft AGL thru the forecast period. Isold -SHRA til 20/16z. SFC winds less than 10 kts and terrain driven thru 20/16z and then again after 21/05z. At other times, SFC wind 12-18 kts with gusts to 20-26 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Isolated very light showers/sprinkles this morning. Otherwise expect hot temperatures, very low humidity levels and breezy afternoons this week, with temperatures climbing further to well above normal levels Sunday onward. Elevated fire weather conditions will occur east/southeast of Tucson today thru Friday. Today thru Wednesday, min RHs values will be in the 6-13 percent range in the valleys and 10-20 percent in the mountains, with poor overnight recoveries. From Thursday into early next week, min RHs values will be 3-8 percent in the valleys and around 10 percent in the mountains, with very poor overnight recoveries. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The lightning-caused Ventana Fire started before sunrise June 20 on the edge of the Tucson Metro area in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The fire was contained by June 23 after it consumed 133 acres.
The lightning-caused Ventana Fire started before sunrise June 20 on the edge of the Tucson Metro area in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The fire was contained by June 23 after it consumed 133 acres.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, June 2023
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: 1113327, 1113328.