Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Great Falls, MT

July 6, 2000Cascade County, Meagher County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 6, 2000, 5:03 PM MDT for Cascade County, Meagher County, Montana. It was in force for 42 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 6, 2000, 5:03 PM MDT (23:03 UTC)
Expired: Jul 6, 2000, 5:45 PM MDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Great Falls, MT
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Cascade County, MT, Meagher County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:03 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 6, 5:10 PM MDT	Hail 1.25	Cascade, MT
Jul 6, 5:20 PM MDT	Hail 0.75	Great Falls, 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, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 83 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1230 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 373 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.

981 
WUUS55 KTFX 062304
SVRGTF
MTC013-059-062345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
503 PM MDT THU JUL 6 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CASCADE COUNTY IN MONTANA
  EXTREME NORTHWESTERN MEAGHER COUNTY IN MONTANA

* UNTIL 545 PM MDT

* AT 500 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL CASCADE 
COUNTY...OR   ABOUT 22 MILES SOUTH OF CASCADE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 
20 MPH. AT 415 PM THIS THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN 
SILVER CITY...12 MILES NORTHWEST OF HELENA.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
RURAL SOUTHERN CASCADE COUNTY AT 520 PM MDT

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN GREAT FALLS.

LAT...LON 4697 11178 4690 11163 4714 11108 4732 11134

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 6, 3:00 PM MDT, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 3:00 PM MDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
300 PM MDT THU JUL 6 2000

CONVECTIVE PATTERN OF PAST FEW DAYS CONTINUES THIS DAY. UPPER TROF
REMAINS OVER PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH SHORT WAVES ROTATING THROUGH CWA.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING WEST OF THE DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON
WITH DEVELOPMENT NOW BEGINNING TO OCCUR AS WELL OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA.
MODERATE DOWNSLPOPE WINDS INHIBITING CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME
OVER WESTERN PORTION OF CWA BUT DOWNSLOPE WINDS SHOULD DIMINSH AS
AFTERNOON WEARS ON. LOOKS LIKE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD TAKE OFF ONCE STORMS
REACH MORE UNSTABLE AIR OVER EASTERN PORTION OF CWA. FRIDAY PROMISES TO
BE QUIETER AS UPPER LOW DIGS A BIT FURTH SOUTH ALONG WEST COAST AND WEAK
H5 RIDGE BUILDS OVER AREA. BACKING FLOW INCREASES AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT
WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SATURDAY SHOULD SEE A BETTER CHANCE OF
AFTERNOON CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. THICKNESS VALUES INDICATE SLOW WARMING
THROUGH 48 HOURS. EMANUEL

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...LONG RANGE PROGS CONTINUE UPPER TROUGH NEAR
COAST...BUT WEAKEN IT AS UPPER RIDGE TENDS TO STRENGTHEN OVER EASTERN
MONTANA AND DAKOTAS BY TUESDAY. SINCE CHANGE IS LATE IN 3 TO 5 DAY
PERIOD WILL CONTINUE STATUS QUO...BUT WITH A WARMING TREND. OARD

CCF NUMBERS
GTF BB 050/081 052/083 054 084123
CTB BB 047/078 050/080 050 084113
HLN BB 050/080 052/084 054 084223
BZN BB 048/082 050/084 051 084233
WEY BB 042/075 042/078 042 084233
DLN BB 047/080 049/082 047 083223
HVR BB 052/083 054/084 056 084123
LWT BB 050/080 052/082 052 084123

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 6, 2:00 PM MDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED FOR DATES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
200 PM MDT THU JUL 6 2000

TIME(MDT)  .....EVENT  LOCATION..... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...........
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

0815 PM    8 S GERALDINE             MT   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CHOUTEAU

0818 PM    20 S CASCADE              MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CASCADE

0830 PM    5 N NEIHART               MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CASCADE

0835 PM    10 SE GERALDINE           MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CHOUTEAU                       FEW BASEBALL SIZE
                                          HAILSTONES...VERY SOFT AND

0835 PM    10 SE GERALDINE           MT   40 MPH TSTM GUST
07/05/00   CHOUTEAU

0900 PM    11 NW GEYSER              MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN                  FUNNEL CLOUD OVER THE
                                          HIGHWOODS.

0902 PM    9 SE STOCKETT             MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CASCADE                        .75 INCH OF RAIN IN 15
                                          MINUTES WITH 1 INCH TO 1 1
                                          /2 INCH HAIL. NO WINDS TO
                                          SPEAK OF.

0905 PM    8 SW BELT                 MT   1.25 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   CASCADE                        BRIEF HEAVY RAIN, NO WINDS,
                                          1.25 INCH HAIL

0905 PM    11 NW GEYSER              MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN                  CAN SEE A WALL CLOUD AT 9
                                          25 P.M. RECEIVED

0919 PM    RAYNESFORD                MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN

0920 PM    1 W RAYNESFORD            MT   FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTED JUST
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN                  WEST OF RAYNESFORD

0930 PM    11 W RAYNESFORD           MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN

0932 PM    GEYSER                    MT   0.88 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN                  NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE
                                          HAIL.

0938 PM    GEYSER                    MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/05/00   JUDITH  BASIN                  RANDY TRIPLETT RECEIVING
                                          DIME TO QUARTER SIZE

NNNN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 5, 7:29 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Cascade, Chouteau, Judith Basin	31 min
Jul 5, 8:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Chouteau	36 min
Jul 5, 8:16 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Cascade, Meagher	29 min
Jul 5, 8:27 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Cascade, Judith Basin	33 min
Jul 5, 8:43 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Chouteau	32 min
Jul 5, 8:50 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Cascade, Judith Basin	25 min
Jul 5, 8:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus	36 min
Jul 5, 9:11 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	TFX	Cascade, Judith Basin	34 min
Jul 5, 9:17 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Fergus	28 min
Jul 5, 9:39 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Chouteau	36 min
Jul 5, 9:44 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	31 min
Jul 5, 10:16 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Chouteau	29 min
Jul 5, 10:20 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	40 min
Jul 5, 10:46 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	59 min
Jul 5, 11:07 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus	38 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2000 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2000

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.