Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 17, NWS Great Falls, MT

June 10, 2003Glacier County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 10, 2003, 2:11 PM MDT for Glacier County, Montana. It was in force for 64 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
Jun 10, 2003, 2:11 PM MDT (20:11 UTC)
Expired
Jun 10, 2003, 3:15 PM MDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Glacier County, MT

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

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 197 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 12:00Z on 2003-06-10Temperature 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 12:00Z on 2003-06-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 70 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-104 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
890 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
70 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 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.

558 
WUUS55 KTFX 102011
SVRTFX
MTC035-102115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
215 PM MDT TUE JUN 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL GLACIER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA  

* UNTIL 315 PM MDT

* AT 200 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES WEST OF CUT BANK...MOVING EAST AT   
  10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  NEAR CUT BANK AT 315 PM MDT

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 4875 11278 4850 11261 4853 11221 4886 11225

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 10, 9:35 AM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 10, 9:35 AM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT930
935 AM MDT TUE JUN 10 2003

.DISCUSSION...WILL UPDATED ZONES AND STATE FORECAST.

FIRST SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH ERN HALF OF CWA LEAVING PARTLY SUNNY
SKIES. ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR CU TO FORM AND WILL CHANGE
WORDING TO PARTLY CLOUDY BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY FOR CENTRAL ZONES.
SUNSHINE SHOULD KICK TEMPERATURES UP TOWARDS FORECASTED HIGHS SO
WILL NOT ADJUST THEM. AM CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY. CURRENT FORECAST HAS WORDING TRENDING
TOWARDS IT SO WILL LEAVE IT AS IS. WILL PROBABLY ADJUST TONIGHTS
POPS IN A FEW PLACES. CAMP

TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...UPPER TROUGH OVER B.C. WILL SWING
INTO ERN WA AND NRN ID BY LATE AFTERNOON. TROUGH THEN MOVES THROUGH
THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT/EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. MAIN CONCERN
TODAY INTO TONIGHT WILL BE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. LATEST SPC
OUTLOOK HAS MOST OF THE GTF FORECAST AREA UNDER A SLIGHT RISK OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. SITUATION LOOKS RATHER MARGINAL WHEN LOOKING AT
CAPE AND SHEAR VALUES BUT CERTAINLY CAN NOT RULE OUT ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. HARD TO SAY HOW CONVECTION WILL PLAY OUT TODAY AND
TONIGHT. ONE SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS
MORNING AND LOCAL RADAR WAS SHOWING SOME SHOWERS/TSTMS OVER SW MT
AHEAD OF FEATURE. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE
AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE MAIN TROUGH MENTIONED ABOVE MOVING
THROUGH TONIGHT. CAN EXPECT SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WITH SHORTWAVES AND
ALSO SURFACE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MOS
GUIDANCE FROM DIFFERENT MODELS TENDED TO HAVE HIGHER POPS THAN
INHERITED FORECAST POPS FOR TODAY/TONIGHT. WITH FEATURES MENTIONED
ABOVE AND FAIR AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WILL LEAN TOWARDS HIGHER MOS
GUIDANCE. LINGERING MOISTURE IN THE N WED/WED NIGHT ALONG WITH SOME
INSTABILITY AND POSSIBLE WEAK SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY COULD LEAD TO
ISOLATED CONVECTION. UPPER RIDGE MOVING OVER AREA LATER WED NIGHT
SHOULD BRING A TEMPORARY END TO THE THREAT OF PRECIPITATION. BLANK

THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WEAK RIDGING OVER EASTERN MONTANA WITH
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA. MAIN STORM TRACK STAYS NORTH OF
MONTANA WITH THE ONLY CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION COMING FROM
OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS. THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS EACH
AFTERNOON ARE POSSIBLE, BUT STORMS NOT EXPECTED MAKE IT ONTO THE
PLAINS DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY LARGE SCALE FORCING. TEMPERATURES TO
REMAIN ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES DURING THE PERIOD. JCA

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...GFS MODEL CONTINUES A MOIST AND UNSTABLE
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER REGION WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG
THE WEST COAST AND A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MIDWEST. THUS
WILL GO WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY DURING
THE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE
CLOSE TO SEASONAL AVERAGE. WILLIAMSON DC

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF WE 072/048 073/046 076 0465-
    BBBBB 049/076 049/078 048/074 047/074 047 -00--024444
CTB WE 067/047 068/045 073 04651
    BBBBB 043/074 048/075 047/070 046/070 046 10033-24444
HLN EB 075/049 076/049 077 0454-
    BBBBB 047/077 050/080 050/076 049/076 049 -0033134444
BZN BB 075/044 074/043 077 04440
    BBBEE 049/078 047/078 045/075 044/075 044 00011124444
WEY BB 068/037 067/034 070 04240
    BBBEE 047/070 042/071 042/066 041/066 041 02212224444
DLN BB 075/043 074/043 075 04220
    BBBEE 047/076 045/075 045/072 044/072 044 02222234444
HVR TE 073/049 073/049 077 04663
    BBBBB 052/082 053/082 050/077 049/077 049 10000003333
LWT EB 067/046 070/045 077 0456-
    BBBBB 049/080 050/075 047/070 046/070 046 -0000004444

.TFX...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 10, 6:10 AM MDT, 8 hours 1 minute before
MTZ008>015-044>055-110010-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
610 AM MDT TUE JUN 10 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. PRIMARY THREATS FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL. PLEASE REFER TO GTFSPSTFX FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 10, 2:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXPondera, Teton35 min
Jun 10, 2:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXPondera, Toole59 min
Jun 10, 3:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXPondera, Teton56 min
Jun 10, 4:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau56 min
Jun 10, 4:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau51 min
Jun 10, 5:35 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXLewis and Clark55 min
Jun 10, 5:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau61 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.