Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Missoula, MT

September 15, 1997Granite County, Powell County, Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 15, 1997, 10:50 AM MDT for Granite County, Powell County, Montana. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports 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
Sep 15, 1997, 10:50 AM MDT (16:50 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 1997, 11:30 AM MDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT
Area
Whole counties

Counties Granite County, MT, Powell County, MT

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 15, 11:00 AM MDTThunderstorm Wind 60Philipsburg, MT
Sep 15, 11:17 AM MDTHail 0.75Helmville, 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

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 217 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 1997-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 54 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 1997-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 156 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
54 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-492 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1231 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMSO 151651 RRA
SVRMSO
MTC039-077-151730-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
1050 AM MDT MON SEP 15 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL MONTANA
 
   ...EASTERN GRANITE COUNTY...SOUTHERN POWELL COUNTY
 
AT 1050 AM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS DETECTED IN EASTERN GRANITE
COUNTY 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DRUMMOND. THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL APPROACH DRUMMOND JUST AFTER 11 AM. THIS
STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN POWELL COUNTY.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
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.
 
WHITMORE

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 Sep 15, 9:15 AM MDT, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 15, 9:15 AM MDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
915 AM MDT MON SEP 15 1997
TROF OFF THE PAC NW COAST WITH NUMEROUS SHORTWAVES RIPPLING AROUND.
COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH WRN MT OVERNIGHT  AND ASSOCIATED SHOWER BAND
IS MOVING NORTHEAST AND WILL BE OUT OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. MORE
WIDESPREAD AREA OF SHOWERS BEHIND ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL
FEATURES.  NEW ETA HAS TROF MOVING THROUGH AREAA OVERNIGHT AND WEAK
RIDGE FOR TUESDAY.  THICKNESS DROPS TO BELOW 549 MOST OF AREA TONIGHT
AND MENTION OF SNOW IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS REASONABLE. HIGH RH/CLOUDS
SHOULD KEEP FROST FROM BEING A CONCERN.  CURRENT FORECASTS APPEAR TO
BE ON TRACK.  NO UPDATES PLANNED.  HOADLEY

...FORECASTS BELOW ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE...

LIB .. 061/045 060/... ... 40744
FCA WE 062/044 058/040 060 40744
POL .. 063/050 060/... ... 40643
MSO WE 065/046 060/042 063 40643
HMM .. 066/044 062/... ... 40643
BTM .. 065/044 056/... ... 40553
S80 .. 064/047 060/... ... 40743
P69 .. 066/052 063/... ... 40753
SMN .. 066/044 063/... ... 40652

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 9:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOFlathead45 min
Sep 15, 5:41 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOMissoula64 min
Sep 15, 10:40 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOMissoula, Powell60 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.