Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Billings, MT

May 30, 2002Park County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 30, 2002, 9:13 PM MDT for Park County, Montana. It was in force for 47 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 30, 2002, 9:13 PM MDT (03:13 UTC)
Expired: May 30, 2002, 10:00 PM MDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Billings, MT
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Park County, MT

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 30, 9:30 PM MDT	Hail 0.75	Livingston, 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Riverton, WY (KRIW), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 309 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: 13 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 3598 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 23 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.

471 
WUUS55 KBYZ 310313
SVRBYZ
MTC067-310400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
912 PM MDT THU MAY 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BILLINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN PARK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA

* UNTIL 1000 PM MDT

* AT 912 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL 11 MILES WEST OF CHICO...OR
  ABOUT 29 MILES SOUTH OF BOZEMAN...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF...
  SOUTHERN PARK COUNTY.

* THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING ONE INCH HAIL.

VERY LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

LAT...LON 4549 11087 4511 11097 4505 11022 4553 11027

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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 30, 8:24 PM MDT, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 8:24 PM MDT, 49 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
824 PM MDT THU MAY 30 2002

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR FRI...SAT...SUN...

RADAR TRENDS SHOW CONSIDERABLE REDEVELOPMENT UPSTREAM WITH INFRARED
IMAGERY SHOWING A POSSIBLE BACK EDGE AROUND LIVINGSTON. WILL BE
ADJUSTING EVENING WORDING TO UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN ZONES...
BUT SHERIDAN AND SOUTHERN SOUTHEAST WILL SEE THE THREAT EXTEND INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS. WILL BE ADDING POPS INTO THE NORTHERN SOUTHEAST
ZONES AS THE SHOWERS APPEAR TO BE HOLDING TOGETHER AS THEY MOVE EAST.
OF MORE IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS RECENT SVR WX REPORT FROM MADISON COUNTY.
STORMS OVER WESTERN PORTION OF CWA ARE SHOWING RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND
WATER VAPOR SHOWS LIFT BEING INDUCED BY RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION TO JET
OVER NORTHERN MONTANA HELPING SUPPORT THESE STORMS. LOW WET BULB ZERO
HEIGHTS ARE AIDING HAIL SIZE. ON THE OTHER HAND...ACARS SOUNDING AT
140Z OUT OF BILLINGS SHOWS A PRETTY DEEP LAYER OF UPSLOPE WITH WHAT
WOULD APPEAR TO BE A CAPPED AT 700 MB. LATEST ETA SOUNDINGS SHOW THAT
ELEVATED CONVECTION IS LIKELY WITH LFCS AROUND 12000 FT SO WILL BE
ADDING A MENTION OF HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE WESTERN ZONES. BORSUM

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR MON...TUE...WED...THU...

LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WITH HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE COAST OF
CALIFORNIA WILL PROVIDE A WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DURING THE
PERIOD. DURING THIS TIME...A FEW PIECES OF ENERGY WILL BREAK OFF THE
SYSTEM IN THE GULF OF ALASKA AND MOVE THROUGH THE NW FLOW. THIS WILL
BRING A SHOT FOR SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WEST AND CENTRAL
ZONES TUES WITH A LESSER CHANCE IN THE EAST. FOR WED...THE EAST WILL
HAVE THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIP. AS FOR TEMPS...THEY WILL BE FAIRLY
CLOSE TO NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD...GIVE OR TAKE A FEW DEGREES.
HOOLEY

    FRI     SAT     SUN     MON     TUE     WED     THU
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 055/081 055/081 045/075 046/066 044/070 054/071 049/068
    63/T    34/T    62/W    22/C    12/C    10/B    02/C
LVM 047/083 054/083 042/073 044/065 041/069 051/069 048/067
    63/T    34/T    61/B    22/C    12/C    10/B    02/C
HDN 053/083 058/083 044/075 045/067 041/071 058/072 049/069
    63/T    33/T    62/W    22/C    12/C    10/B    02/C
MLS 055/083 058/083 045/075 046/069 045/071 051/073 050/071
    31/B    12/T    63/W    32/C    12/C    13/W    32/C
4BQ 053/082 059/082 046/076 047/070 043/072 052/072 051/072
    33/T    32/T    62/W    22/C    12/C    10/B    02/C
BHK 050/081 056/081 044/073 045/069 041/071 051/071 049/071
    31/B    12/T    64/W    32/C    12/C    13/W    32/C
SHR 054/080 060/081 045/076 042/068 040/069 050/071 045/072
    33/T    32/T    61/B    22/C    12/C    10/B    02/C

.BYZ...
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.