Alert archive / Montana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Glasgow, MT

July 12, 2001Garfield County, Montana

NWS Glasgow, MT issued this flash flood warning at Jul 12, 2001, 11:07 PM MDT for Garfield County, Montana. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls 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.

The facts

Issued: Jul 12, 2001, 11:07 PM MDT (05:07 UTC)
Expired: Jul 13, 2001, 3:00 AM MDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Glasgow, MT
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Garfield County, MT

The nearest sounding before it

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 00:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 108 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: 2495 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1031 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS55 KGGW 130509
FFWGGW

MTC033-130900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
1107 PM MDT THU JUL 12 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GLASGOW HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  GARFIELD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MONTANA
  
* UNTIL 300 AM MDT

* AT 1056 PM MDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
  RAINFALL FROM 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF BRUSETT TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF
  SAND SPRINGS...OR FROM 21 MILES NORTH OF JORDAN TO 38 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF JORDAN...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE
  WARNED AREA. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH
  FLOODING TO OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH       
  FLOODING INCLUDE...SAND SPRINGS...EDWARDS...BRUSSETT AND           
  JORDAN...HILLSIDE AND COHAGEN

AT 1100 PM MDT...SPOTTERS NEAR BRUSSETT HAVE REPORTED THAT SOME 
ROADS ARE IMPASSABLE AND THAT THE DITCHES AND COULEES ARE STARTING 
TO FILL UP AGAIN. 

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM AND PREVIOUS STORMS THIS EVENING 
WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY  
ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND COULEES...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG 
THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4760 10757 4686 10778 4687 10630 4760 10630

.END
91

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 12, 8:45 PM MDT, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 8:45 PM MDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before

NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
845 PM MDT THU JUL 12 2001

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ALL CWA EXCEPT
EXTREME NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES...
...UPDATED TO BETTER DEFINE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FORMING MAINLY ALONG A MOIST AXIS STRETCHING
N-S THROUGH OUR WRN COUNTIES THEN EAST ACROSS CENTRAL MT. HAVE HAD
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE...FLASH FLOODING...HAIL
PILING UP TO DEPTHS OF 4 FEET...FUNNEL CLOUDS...THE WORKS. WORST
SEEMS TO BE YET TO COME. SQUALL LINE(S) NOW APPROACHING WRN ZONES AS
UPR DYNAMICS MOVE INTO CWA. THE FAR NERN ZONES WILL PROBABLY BE
SPARED FROM THE SEVERE WX AS THERE IS COOLER AIR IN PLACE THERE AND
MAIN DYNAMICS WILL WEAKEN AND DIVE SE AS IT MOVES THROUGH ERN
MONTANA. ZONES BROAD-BRUSHED AND HAVE SITUATION COVERED. WILL BE
UPDATING ZONES WHEN THERE IS ANY CHANGE IN WATCH STATUS.   WRIGHT

EXTENDED...MODELS SUGGEST AN OMEGA BLOCK DEVELOPING OVER NORTH
AMERICA DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS
FORECAST TO REMAIN EAST OF MONTANA WITH A DEEP TROUGH ALONG THE WEST
COAST AND AN UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHWEST CANADA. THIS PATTERN KEEPS
NORTHEAST MONTANA IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD.
WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS EACH DAY WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING
NEAR NORMAL.  WATERHOUSE

KGGW 064/088 062/088 062/088 061/087 060/086 060/086 059/085
     TTTTTTT  943232/9933333
KGDV 064/090 064/092 063/090 062/089 061/088 060/087 059/086
     TTTTTTT  943232/9933333

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 6:15 PM MDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
615 PM MDT THU JUL 12 2001

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

0432 PM    10 N EDWARDS              MT   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       LIFTING SHINGLES OFF ROOF

0445 PM    BRUSSETT                  MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       1 INCH OF RAIN IN LESS
                                          THAN AN HOUR. EXTENSIVE
                                          RUNNING WATER

0445 PM    10 N EDWARDS              MT   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       HAIL COVERING THE GROUND.
                                          VERY HEAVY RAIN.

0505 PM    5 W BRUSSETT              MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       3 INCHES OF RAIN IN LESS
                                          THAN 1 HOUR. 3 FEET OF
                                          WATER IN CULVERTS.

0400 PM    10 NE SAND SPRINGS        MT   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       QUARTER SIZE HAIL FOR 1/2
                                          HOUR. STANDING WATER.

0505 PM    5 W BRUSSETT              MT   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD

0510 PM    12 W JORDAN               MT   TORNADO
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       ROTATING FUNNEL CLOUD
                                          REPORTED BY SHERIFF

0500 PM    20 W JORDAN               MT   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       HAIL BROKE OUT WINDOWS IN
                                          HOME AND VEHICLES

0500 PM    20 W JORDAN               MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       DEEP WATER RUNNING IN
                                          COULEES

0525 PM    10 N EDWARDS              MT   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       HAIL 4 FEET DEEP IN SOME
                                          SPOTS

WRIGHT

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:44 PM MDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
1044 PM MDT THU JUL 12 2001

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

0729 PM    15 N SACO                 MT   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   PHILLIPS                       QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 1/4
                                          INCH OF RAIN IN 15 MINS

0736 PM    4 N ROCK SPRINGS          MT   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       HAILED FOR 5 MINS. 40-50
                                          MPH WIND GUSTS.

0738 PM    ROCK SPRINGS              MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD

0530 PM    7 S BRUSSETT              MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       WATER OVER ROADWAY

0530 PM    7 S BRUSSETT              MT   WIND DAMAGE
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       FENCES BLOWN DOWN

0530 PM    7 S BRUSSETT              MT   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   GARFIELD                       1-FOOT DRIFTS OF HAIL WITH
                                          4-5 INCHES OF RAIN

0806 PM    2 N BJORNBORG             MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   VALLEY

0819 PM    10 NE SACO                MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   PHILLIPS

0908 PM    BJORBERG                  MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   VALLEY                         CROPS DAMAGED.

1000 PM    S HWY 191 MALTA           MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   PHILLIPS                       WATER IN COULEES UP TO 10
                                          FEET ACROSS IN PLACES.

0905 PM    BJORBORG BRIDGE           MT   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   VALLEY                         CROPS COMPLETELY HAILED
                                          OUT

0845 PM    FRENCHMAN DAM             MT   FLASH FLOODS
07/12/01   PHILLIPS                       FRENCHMAN RESEVOIR FULL.
                                          WATER BEING RELEASED FROM
                                          DAM. WATER OVER ROADWAYS.

0805 PM    FRENCHMAN DAM             MT   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   PHILLIPS                       HAIL 3 FEET DEEP

0930 PM    ZORTMAN                   MT   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/01   PHILLIPS

WRIGHT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 7:04 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Garfield	41 min
Jul 12, 7:12 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Phillips	63 min
Jul 12, 7:48 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Valley	57 min
Jul 12, 8:13 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Phillips	62 min
Jul 12, 8:46 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Valley	59 min
Jul 12, 8:51 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Phillips	54 min
Jul 12, 9:23 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	GGW	Valley	4 hr
Jul 12, 9:36 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Phillips	54 min
Jul 12, 9:45 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Valley	75 min
Jul 12, 10:03 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	GGW	Phillips	3 hr
Jul 12, 10:47 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GGW	Valley	58 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Montana, 2001 Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.