Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Billings, MT

May 24, 1990Carter County, Custer County, Powder River County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1990, 6:50 PM MDT for Carter County, Custer County, Powder River County, Montana. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 24, 1990, 6:50 PM MDT (00:50 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 1990, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT
Area
Whole counties

Counties Carter County, MT, Custer County, MT, Powder River County, MT

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KRAP), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 262 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1990-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 827 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1990-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
827 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
744 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBIL 250050 RRA
TORBIL
MTC011-017-075-250145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
650 PM MDT THU MAY 24 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE STATE OF MONTANA
      WESTERN CARTER...SOUTHEAST CUSTER...NORTHEAST POWDER RIVER

AT 635 PM MDT A TORNADO WAS SPOTTED BY THE PUBLIC 35 MILES NORTH-
EAST OF BROADUS IN POWDER RIVER COUNTY MONTANA. THE STORM WAS MOVIN
G TO THE NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

 THORICHT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 24, 1:29 PM MDT, 5 hours 21 minutes before
WYZ005-242130

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHERIDAN WY
135 PM MDT THU MAY 24 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 110 PM MDT THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THE PUBLIC REPORTED PEA SIZE
HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN IN STORY WYOMING SOME 12 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST
OF SHERIDAN WYOMING. RADAR SHOWED THIS STORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT
ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING THE REST OF
THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BREIF HEAVY RAIN AND SOME HAIL.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN
WYOMING EAST OF SHERIDAN COUNTY.

IF THREATENING WEATHER AwPPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE.

ZEGLIN
Special weather statement, May 24, 2:32 PM MDT, 4 hours 18 minutes before
WYZ005-242230

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHERIDAN WY
235 PM MDT THU MAY 24 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 220 PM MDT THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THE PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE SIZE
HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN AT LAKE DE SMET 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF
SHERIDAN WYOMING. RADAR SHOWED THIS STORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT
20 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING THE REST OF
THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BREIF HEAVY RAIN AND SOME HAIL.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN
WYOMING EAST OF SHERIDAN COUNTY UNTIL 7 PM MDT.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE.

ZEGLIN
Special weather statement, May 24, 3:37 PM MDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
WYZ003-242300

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHERIDAN WY
340 PM MDT THU MAY 24 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 320 PM MDT THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED
A FUNNEL CLOUD MOVING NORTH AT FRANNIE WYOMING...73 MILES NORTH
N0RTHEAST OF WORLAND WYOMING. RADAR SHOWED THIS STORM MOVING NORTH
ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE IN NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING THE REST OF
THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BREIF HEAVY RAIN AND SOME HAIL.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN
WYOMING EAST OF SHERIDAN COUNTY UNTIL 7 PM MDT.

IF THREATENING+ WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE.

ZEGLIN

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes in 1990

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.