Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Billings, MT

July 18, 2001Fallon County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 2001, 7:03 PM MDT for Fallon County, Montana. It was in force for 42 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 18, 2001, 7:03 PM MDT (01:03 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2001, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT
Area
Whole counties

County Fallon County, MT

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 7:35 PM MDTHail 0.75Baker, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 18, 4:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 267 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 2001-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 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 2001-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2608 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
110 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 
WFUS55 KBYZ 190106
TORBIL

MTC025-190145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
703 PM MDT WED JUL 18 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BILLINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN FALLON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MONTANA

* UNTIL 745 PM MDT

* AT 701 PM MDT...SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD    
  6 MILES SOUTH OF WILLARD...OR ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF              
  BAKER...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING THIS FUNNEL CLOUD WILL REMAIN OVER      
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF...SOUTHERN FALLON COUNTY.

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

$$

LAT...LON 4609 1040>5 4632 10406 4625 10441 4622 10470
          4615 10469 4614 10452 4606 10452 4606 10439
          4598 10436 4598 10416 4595 10412 4589 10413
          4590 10406

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.

NWS Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 18, 1:55 PM MDT, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 1:55 PM MDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
155 PM MDT WED JUL 18 2001

.THU AND FRI...
THUNDERSTORM PATTERN REMAINS IN PLACE. DEEP UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER
ALBERTA. THE LOW WAS NOT MOVING MUCH AND SENDING SHORTWAVE ENERGY AROUND
THE PERIPHERY OF IT. ONE SUCH WAVE MOVING INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA AT THE
MOMENT WITH ANOTHER CRUISING INTO EASTERN IDAHO. CU DEVELOPING OVER THE
MOUNTAINS. ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZING WITH LI'S AROUND -4 AND CAPES AROUND
1200 JKG OVER SOUTHERN MONTANA. FLOW AT THE SURFACE PRETTY LIGHT...BUT
INCREASES UP THROUGH 600MB. STORMS SHOULD HAVE TILT AND WITH WET BULB
ZERO TEMPERATURES REMAINING LOW...HAIL A GOOD BET. THE SOUTHEAST WILL
HAVE TO OVERCOME CAPPING...BUT AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES IN THERE THIS
EVENING...THIS SHOULD BE DONE. WILL MENTION SEVERE IN THE ZONES.

MORE SHORTWAVES ROUND THE CANADIAN UPPER LOW AND SERVE TO ENHANCE THE
SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE STATE. NEXT WAVE PROGGED TO MOVE IN THURSDAY
AFTERNOON. ANOTHER UPSTREAM WAVE PROGGED INTO THE SOUTHWEST AROUND
MIDNIGHT THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WAVE TRACKS INTO NORTHERN MONTANA
OVERNIGHT...SO COULD BE A NOCTURNAL EVENT. WILL LEAVE SCATTERED POPS IN.
THE SOUTHERN TAIL OF THE WAVE WILL LINGER IN THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH NOON.
WILL PROBABLY BE DRY MOST OF THE DAY FRIDAY. ANOTHER WEAK WAVE INVADES
THE SOUTHWEST FRIDAY AFTERNOON...BUT THIS WAVE IS PRETTY WEAK COMPARED
TO THE OTHER. WILL KEEP LOW SCATTERED POPS FRIDAY FOR THE MORNING
POSSIBILITY AND ALSO THE AFTERNOON WAVE AS THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY
UNSTABLE. HEIGHTS TO RISE A LITTLE FRIDAY AS THE NEXT UPPER LOW DEVELOPS
OVER WASHINGTON AND OREGON. WILL GO A LITTLE WARMER FRIDAY. HUMPHREY

.SAT...SUN...MON...TUE...WED...
THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL CONTINUE A MOIST UNSTABLE SOUTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES INTO MONDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES
ACROSS MONTANA. THIS KEEPS SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST
INTO MONDAY WHILE TEMPERATURES ARE VERY WARM. WEAK RIDGING THEN BEGINS
TO BUILD ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH TEMPERATURES
SLOWLY INCREASING WHILE CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS DIMINISH. THORICHT

    THU     FRI     SAT     SUN     MON     TUE     WED
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 056/083 058/087 060/085 060/086 060/087 057/085 058/086
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
LVM 048/081 050/084 057/084 057/087 057/087 055/084 055/084
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
HDN 054/085 056/089 059/086 059/090 059/090 058/087 056/087
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
MLS 060/088 062/091 062/089 062/090 062/090 059/088 060/089
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
4BQ 059/087 061/090 061/088 061/091 061/091 058/087 059/087
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
BHK 058/087 060/090 060/087 060/090 060/090 056/088 057/088
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B
SHR 052/085 054/089 058/085 058/086 058/088 056/086 056/086
    44/T    43/T    33/T    33/T    32/B    22/B    22/B

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:00 PM MDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS, MT
400 PM MDT WED JUL 18 2001

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0720 PM    10 SE ROUNDUP             MT   80 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
07/02/01   MUSSELSHELL                    LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED
                                          TREES DOWN IN THE BULL
                                          MOUNTAINS

0930 PM    DECKER                    MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/14/01   BIG HORN                       145 FEET OF ROAD BED
                                          WASHED OUT BENEATH THE
                                          BURLINGTON/NORTHERN
                                          RAILROAD TRACKS. 2 FEET OF
                                          WATER OVER TRACKS. REPORTED
                                          BY RAILROAD OFFICIAL.

0445 PM    BOYD                      MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   CARBON                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0430 PM    3 W PARK CITY             MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   STILLWATER                     REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0532 PM    10 W BILLINGS             MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   YELLOWSTONE                    REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE.

0545 PM    BILLINGS                  MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/17/01   YELLOWSTONE                    STREET FLOODING ON THE
                                          SOUTH SIDE OF BILLINGS.
                                          REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE.

0700 PM    9.5 N HARDIN              MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   BIG HORN                       REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0200 AM    25 NW BAKER               MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   FALLON                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

1235 AM    11 SE MILES CITY          MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   CUSTER                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

1200 AM    1[0 NE MILES CITY          MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/18/01   CUSTER                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

TJ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 6:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCuster, Powder River60 min
Jul 18, 6:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZFallon60 min
Jul 18, 6:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCuster, Powder River61 min
Jul 18, 7:12 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningBYZPowder River2 hr
Jul 18, 7:42 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCarter63 min
Jul 18, 8:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCarter45 min
Jul 19, 5:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCarter61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2001Every tornado warning in 2001Tornadoes in 2001

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.