Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 657

August 31, 200213 counties in Montana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Aug 31, 2002, 4:05 PM MDT for 13 counties in Montana. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 31, 2002, 4:05 PM MDT (22:05 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 2002, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Big Horn County, MT, Carter County, MT, Custer County, MT, Dawson County, MT, Fallon County, MT, Garfield County, MT, McCone County, MT, Powder River County, MT, Prairie County, MT, Richland County, MT, Rosebud County, MT, Treasure County, MT, Wibaux County, MT

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 149 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:06 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.

Warnings issued inside it

3 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 31, 4:53 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWGarfield67 min
Aug 31, 4:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZRosebud61 min
Aug 31, 5:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCuster51 min

The nearest sounding before it

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 12:00Z on 2002-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 564 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 12:00Z on 2002-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -59 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
564 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1144 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000
WWUS20 KWNS 312203
SEL7  
SPC WW 312205
MTZ000-010300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 657
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
405 PM MDT SAT AUG 31 2002

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   EASTERN MONTANA                            

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 405 PM UNTIL 900
PM MDT.

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES
NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 85 MILES WEST OF MILES CITY MONTANA
TO 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF GLENDIVE MONTANA.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES.


DISCUSSION...CONVECTION IS INCREASING NEAR SW/NE SURFACE FRONT AS
UPPER VORTICITY MAX MOVES ENEWD ACROSS SRN MT.  AIR MASS IS
MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH MLCAPE AROUND 1500 J/KG...AND 35-45 KT
WSWLY MID LEVEL FLOW IS PROVIDING SUFFICIENT DEEP LAYER SHEAR TO
ENHANCE SEVERE THREAT.

ADDITIONAL WATCHES...THE DAKOTAS ARE BEING MONITORED FOR ANOTHER WW
SHORTLY.


AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.  MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...WEISS

474,1073 481,1040 453,1040 450,1073

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Montana, 2002Every severe thunderstorm watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.