Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Missoula, MT

July 21, 1997Flathead County, Lake County, Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 21, 1997, 8:05 PM MDT for Flathead County, Lake County, Montana. It was in force for 85 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 1997, 8:05 PM MDT (02:05 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1997, 9:30 PM MDT
In force
85 min
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT
Area
Whole counties

Counties Flathead County, MT, Lake County, MT

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 21, 8:30 PM MDTHail 1Kalispell, MT

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 177 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, Spokane, WA at 00:00Z on 1997-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1102 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Spokane, WA at 00:00Z on 1997-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 156 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
1102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2385 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMSO 220208 RRA
SVRMSO
MTC029-047-220330-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
805 PM MDT MON JUL 21 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST MONTANA
 
   ...FLATHEAD AND LAKE COUNTIES
 
AT 805 PM MDT...MISSOULA DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIBBY TO 20 MILES
WEST OF POLSON. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE KALISPELL AND
FLATHEAD LAKE AREAS BETWEEN 830 PM AND 9 PM MDT. WINDS IN EXCESS OF
60 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.
 
IN ADDITION TO DAMAGING WINDS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DESTRUCTIVE
HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS
QUICKLY SO DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
FOSS/BELTZ

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 21, 1:46 PM MDT, 6 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 1:46 PM MDT, 6 hours 19 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
145 PM MDT MON JUL 21 1997

TSTMS BREAKING OUT EASTERN WASHINGTON ALONG THETA-E RIDGE THIS
AFTERNOON WITH LIMITED MOISTURE TO THE WEST EXCEPT COASTAL AREAS. ETA
TARGETS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY STILL OVER NORTHERN PANHANDLE..EXTREME
NORTHERN MONTANA AND GLACIER PARK INTO THIS EVENING AND LINGERING
OVER DIVIDE DURING THE MORNING. WEAK FRONT MOVES THROUGH WESTERN
MONTANA OVERNIGHT PRODUCING ISOLATED ACTIVITY. ON TUESDAY..STABILITY
INCREASES ALONG WITH DRYING TREND AS SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS FROM THE
WEST. SOUTHWEST ZONES STILL MAINTAIN ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO TRIGGER
HIGH-BASED TSTMS. ALSO WILL MENTION LOCAL WEST WINDS AS AFTERNOON
MIXING AND SURFACE GRADIENT TIGHTENS. GOING WITH MOS TREND TO COOL
SLIGHT TUESDAY BUT WILL DIVERGE FROM MOS WEDNESDAY RETURNING TO
WARMING TEMPERATURES.
ON WEDNESDAY.. AVN ADVERTISES CONTINUED WESTERLY FLOW WITH ALL ENERGY
WELL NORTH IN CANADA. ONE EXCEPTION BEING THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST WHERE
MOONSONAL MOISTURE PUSH UP FROM THE SOUTH WITH SOME CONVECTION
POSSIBLE. WILL MENTION TSTMS ZONE 8.

STOLL

LIB .. 058/085 051/087 ... 333210
FCA BU 056/083 049/085 048 33320Z0
POL .. 060/086 055/087 ... 332100
MSO BU 057/085 053/087 052 332100
HMM .. 054/088 051/090 ... 332100
BTM .. 052/083 049/084 ... 331211
S80 .. 059/083 059/083 ... 332000
P69 .. 063/087 063/087 ... 332100
SMN .. 055/090 055/090 ... 331100

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 6:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOLincoln65 min
Jul 21, 7:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOLincoln65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

Sources

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