Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Great Falls, MT

August 6, 2002Fergus County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Aug 6, 2002, 6:14 PM MDT for Fergus County, Montana. It was in force for 61 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 6, 2002, 6:14 PM MDT (00:14 UTC)
Expired
Aug 6, 2002, 7:15 PM MDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Fergus County, MT

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 6, 2:40 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 2002-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 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, Great_falls, MT at 00:00Z on 2002-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-129 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1288 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
216 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.

610 
WFUS55 KTFX 070014
TORTFX
MTC027-070115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
612 PM MDT TUE AUG 6 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEAST FERGUS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MONTANA

* UNTIL 715 PM MDT

* AT 610 PM MDT...TRAINED SPOTTERS REPORTED A WALL CLOUD
  OVER CENTRAL FERGUS COUNTY...OR ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF 
  LEWISTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND 
FUNNEL CLOUDS.

THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE EARLIER TORNADO WARNING ISSUED FOR THE 
SAME AREA.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA.

LAT...LON 4719 10909 4704 10894 4730 10837 4748 10857

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 7, 4:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXJefferson49 min
Aug 7, 5:06 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBroadwater39 min
Aug 7, 5:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXLewis and Clark33 min
Aug 7, 5:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBroadwater, Meagher59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.