Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Billings, MT

July 6, 1990Custer County, Rosebud County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this tornado warning at Jul 6, 1990, 10:13 PM MDT for Custer County, Rosebud County, Montana. It was in force for 32 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 6, 1990, 10:13 PM MDT (04:13 UTC)
Expired
Jul 6, 1990, 10:45 PM MDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT
Area
Whole counties

Counties Custer County, MT, Rosebud 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

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 00:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 00:00Z on 1990-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 352 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 00:00Z on 1990-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -12 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
352 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2419 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIL 070413
TORBIL
MTC017-087-070445-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1013 PM MDT FRI JUL 6 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE STATE OF MONTANA
      SOUTHWEST CUSTER...EAST CENTRAL ROSEBUD

AT 10 05 PM MDT...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR 25 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FORSYTH IN EAST CENTRAL ROSEBUD COUNTY OF MONTANA AND
WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...TAKE SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH...
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

 STAY ALERT.  IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED GO TO A SAFE PLACE
 IMMEDIATELY.  WHEN IT IS SAFE PLEASE RELAY YOUR REPORT OF SEVERE
 WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMNENT AGENCY.

 KARR

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, Jul 6, 4:51 PM MDT, 5 hours 22 minutes before
MTZ005-006-007-008-070045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
 445 PM MDT FRI JUL 6 1990

 THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO GRUMBLE IN CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.

AT 435 PM MDT...THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE 45 MILES NORTH OF WINNETT IN
SOUTHERN PHILLIPS COUNTY...45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JORDAN IN SOUTHWEST
GARFIELD COUTY...AND 10 MILES NORTHEAST AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
ROUNDUP IN MUSSELSHELL COUNTY.  THE STORM WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MPH AND SHOULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...AND
POSSIBLE HAIL.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN PHILLIPS...GARFIELD AND MUSSELSHELL COUNTIES OF
MONTANA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THESE STORMS UNTIL 6 45 PM MDT.

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTH
CENTRAL MONTANA COUNTIES OF WHEATLAND...JUDITH BASIN...FERGUS...
 PETROLEUM...PHILLIPS...GARFIELD...MUSSELSHELL...AND GOLDEN VALLEY.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
END/KARR
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:57 PM MDT, 5 hours 16 minutes before
MTZ005-006-007-008-070045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTED TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
445 PM MDT FRI JUL 6 1990

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO GRUMBLE IN CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.

AT 435 PM MDT...THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE 45 MILES NORTH OF WINNETT IN
SOUTHERN PHILLIPS COUNTY...45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JORDAN IN SOUTHWEST
GARFIELD COUNTY...AND 10 MILES NORTHEAST AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
ROUNDUP IN MUSSELSHELL COUNTY.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MPH AND SHOULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...AND
POSSIBLE HAIL.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN PHILLIPS...GARFIELD AND MUSSELSHELL COUNTIES OF
MONTANA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THESE STORMS UNTIL 6 45 PM MDT.

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTH
CENTRAL MONTANA COUNTIES OF WHEATLAND...JUDITH BASIN...FERGUS...
PETROLEUM...PHILLIPS...GARFIELD...MUSSELSHELL...AND GOLDEN VALLEY.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
END/KARR

The office that day

Everything else NWS Billings, MT issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 8:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZBig Horn, Treasure66 min
Jul 6, 9:42 PM MDTTornado WarningBYZRosebud33 min

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.