Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Great Falls, MT

June 28, 2001Fergus County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 28, 2001, 12:34 AM MDT for Fergus County, Montana. It was in force for 41 min. 1 report 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
Jun 28, 2001, 12:34 AM MDT (06:34 UTC)
Expired
Jun 28, 2001, 1:15 AM MDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Fergus County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 162 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:36 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 28, 12:45 AM MDTHail 1Suffolk, MTActual spotter location Suffolk 2 W.

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
Jun 27, 7:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 00:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 103 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 00:00Z on 2001-06-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1392 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, Great_falls, MT at 00:00Z on 2001-06-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 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
1392 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2183 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KTFX 280635
SVRGTF

MTC027-280715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1234 AM MDT THU JUN 28 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL FERGUS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MONTANA

* UNTIL 115 AM MDT

* AT 1231 AM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WINIFRED...OR ABOUT 33 MILES NORTH OF
  LEWISTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER...
  RURAL AREAS

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM MDT
THURSDAY MORNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA.

LAT...LON 4753 10947 4741 10928 4765 10887 4781 10910

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 Jun 27, 9:40 PM MDT, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 9:40 PM MDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
940 PM MDT WED JUN 27 2001

LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED ACROSS EASTERN CWA...NEAR HVR/LWT
LINE AT 03Z. HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS OF AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL
HAIL WITH STORMS WITH RADAR INDICATING A FEW STRONGER STORMS. LINE
PUSHING INTO MORE UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT AND EXPECT ACTIVITY TO
INCREASE AS LINE MOVES EAST. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR
HILL...BLAINE...CHOUTEAU...FERGUS AND JUDITH BASIN COUNTIES UNTIL 1
AM MDT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING OVER WESTERN
CWA STRETCHING BACK INTO EASTERN WA TO SOUTHWEST ID. WILL DROP
CHANCES OF PRECIP SLIGHTLY BEHIND LINE AND WORD FOR DECREASING
ACTIVITY AFTER MIDNIGHT. FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...UPPER FLOW BECOMES
MORE CYCLONIC...ALTHOUGH RESIDUAL INSTABILITY AND WEAK SHORTWAVES
AFFECTING THE SOUTHEAST ZONES WILL ALLOW FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

EXTENDED...UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH REMAINS CENTERED OFF BC
COAST EARLY IN PERIOD WITH HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CENTERED OVER FOUR
CORNERS REGION. TROUGH CONTINUES TO SPIN DISTURBANCES INLAND WITH
SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER PACIFIC NORTHWEST STEERING THE DISTURBANCES
INTO WESTERN MONTANA. THE STRONGEST OF THESE WILL BRUSH ACROSS THE
NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY
FOR THE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS. AS THIS DISTURBANCE EXITS...THE
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BEGINS STRENGTHENING AND RETROGRADING...WITH
THE CENTER OVER NORTHWEST WY AND THE AXIS SHIFTING TO THE MT/ID
BORDER. THIS SHIFT WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES SEASONABLY WARM WITH ONLY
ISOLATED AFTERNOON SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS.

GTF BB 054/078 050/078 048 19211
CTB BB 050/072 047/072 045 19511
HLN BB 045/080 050/080 050 19211
BZN BB 052/080 049/080 048 19222
WEY BB 046/072 044/074 042 19222
DLN BB 051/078 047/078 056 19411
HVR BU 054/083 050/083 050 19611
LWT BB 053/074 048/074 046 19422

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:30 PM MDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1030 PM MDT WED JUN 27 2001

MTZ011-013-016-021-047-050-051-059-060-280530-
BLAINE-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CHOUTEAU-FERGUS-HILL-JUDITH
BASIN-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-PETROLEUM-SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-
1030 PM MDT WED JUN 27 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CLEARED THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES FROM
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 474...

IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA:

BLAINE               CHOUTEAU            HILL

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 474 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM
MDT FOR...FERGUS...JUDITH BASIN...PETROLEUM AND PHILLIPS COUNTIES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 27, 6:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXCascade, Chouteau, Judith Basin45 min
Jun 27, 7:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus, Judith Basin48 min
Jun 27, 9:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus, Judith Basin51 min
Jun 27, 10:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus, Judith Basin45 min
Jun 27, 11:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus, Judith Basin46 min
Jun 28, 12:14 AM MDTFlash Flood WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus, Judith Basin4 hr
Jun 28, 1:45 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXMeagher30 min
Jun 28, 2:56 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus, Judith Basin49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2001Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.