Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Billings, MT

August 6, 2003Musselshell County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 6, 2003, 8:20 PM MDT for Musselshell County, Montana. It was in force for 55 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 6, 2003, 8:20 PM MDT (02:20 UTC)
Expired
Aug 6, 2003, 9:15 PM MDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT
Area
Whole counties

County Musselshell County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:23 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 6, 4:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 198 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 2003-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 172 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 2003-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -30 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
172 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-221 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2696 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

098 
WUUS55 KBYZ 070220
SVRBYZ
MTC065-070315-

BULLETIN - EAS BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
820 PM MDT WED AUG 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BILLINGS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 915 PM MDT

* AT 820 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WEST CENTRAL MUSSELSHELL COUNTY...OR ABOUT
  12 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROUNDUP...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF...
  NORTHWESTERN MUSSELSHELL AND NORTHERN MUSSELSHELL COUNTIES.

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.

$$

LAT...LON 4659 10888 4643 10871 4674 10821 4674 10876
SPRINGER

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 Aug 6, 2:42 PM MDT, 5 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 2:42 PM MDT, 5 hours 38 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
242 PM MDT WED AUG 06 2003

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR THU AND FRI...
SOUTHWEST FLOW CONTINUING ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE SHORT TERM
PERIOD. BASED ON MODEL FORECAST AND CURRENT TRENDS MAIN FOCUS OF
CONVECTION WILL BE WEST AND NORTH OF AREA TONIGHT. A FEW STORMS MAY
AFFECT WEST AND WILL KEEP MAINLY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS BILLINGS WEST. WILL
ALSO KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS IN SOUTHEAST WITH SOME WEAK
CONVECTION FIRING ACROSS BIG HORN RANGE. FOCUS OF CONVECTION WILL
SHIFT NORTH OVERNIGHT AND WILL DRY OUT ALL BUT FAR NORTHERN TIER BY
MIDNIGHT. STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE
NIGHT AHEAD OF SURFACE LOW AND WILL EXTEND WINDY CONDITIONS PAST
MIDNIGHT IN FAR EAST. WITH SOUTHEAST FLOW LOW TEMPS SHOULD BE VERY WARM
IN EAST AND WILL RAISE LOWS SEVERAL DEGREES HERE.

ANOTHER SHOT OF CONVECTION POSSIBLE TOMORROW AND ON FRIDAY WITH
SOUTHWEST FLOW CONTINUING. BEST CHANCES WILL BE IN WEST WITH PACIFIC
FETCH OF MOISTURE CONTINUING. FURTHER EAST STRONG THERMAL RIDGE SHOULD
KEEP THINGS CAPPED SO WILL KEEP THIS AREA MAINLY DRY. TEMPERATURES
BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL WITH AMPLIFIED RIDGE
OVERHEAD. THIS COVERED WELL IN CURRENT GRIDS AND WILL MAKE ONLY MINOR
CHANGES TO THESE GRIDS. WILL ALSO RAISE LOWS A FEW DEGREES...
ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST. JZ

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR SAT...SUN...MON...TUE...WED...
LIMITED CHANGES TO THE GOING EXTENDED PACKAGE. SOUTHWEST FLOW TO
CONTINUE THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD. THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK UP
SATURDAY AND 700MB TEMPERATURES RESPOND. BUMPED HIGHS UP A BIT SATURDAY
TO REFLECT THIS THINKING IN THE EAST. THE WEST WILL HAVE INCREASED MID
LEVEL MOISTURE...TO SLOW DOWN WARMING. SHORTWAVE ENERGY SURGES INTO THE
REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. LEVELS BELOW 10 THOUSAND FEET REMAIN DRY BUT
THERE IS MOISTURE ABOVE THAT. WILL INCLUDE CONVECTION IN THE WEST BOTH
DAYS. BUMPED UP CLOUDS TO THE WEST OVER THE WEEKEND ALSO. LEFT FORECAST
IN TACT THROUGH MID WEEK. HUMPHREY

    THU     FRI     SAT     SUN     MON     TUE     WED
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 068/097 067/096 067/096 067/093 065/094 065/092 066/089
    22/T    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/B
LVM 055/093 054/093 054/091 057/088 057/090 057/088 062/085
    22/T    22/T    22/T    02/T    00/G    00/U    00/U
HDN 066/099 065/098 065/097 065/095 063/095 063/093 064/090
    22/T    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G
MLS 069/099 068/099 068/097 066/095 064/095 064/093 064/090
    20/G    22/T    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G
4BQ 066/098 065/099 065/096 064/095 063/095 063/093 063/090
    20/G    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G
BHK 067/096 066/096 066/094 063/093 061/092 061/090 062/087
    22/T    22/T    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/B
SHR 061/098 061/097 062/095 062/094 062/094 062/092 062/089
    22/T    20/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/G    00/B

.BYZ...
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 6, 5:05 PM MDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
MTZ028>042-056>058-WYZ098-099-071100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
505 PM MDT WED AUG 6 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHEAST
MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM FOR GOLDEN VALLEY...MUSSELSHELL AND
WHEATLAND COUNTIES. A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS COMBINED WITH A
DISTURBANCE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS
EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WATCH AREA MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE
BIGGEST THREAT FROM STORMS WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING THE SLIGHT RISK
FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
MONTANA...AND NORTHERN WYOMING ON THURSDAY. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL WILL REMAIN THE BIGGEST THREAT FROM ANY SEVERE STORMS
THAT DEVELOP IN THE AREA ON THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

ARTHUR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 6, 7:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZGolden Valley64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.