Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Great Falls, MT

June 17, 2005Blaine County, Fergus County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Jun 17, 2005, 4:55 PM MDT for Blaine County, Fergus County, Montana. It was in force for 37 min. 6 reports 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
Jun 17, 2005, 4:55 PM MDT (22:55 UTC)
Expired
Jun 17, 2005, 5:32 PM MDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Blaine County, MT, Fergus County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 163 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:54 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 17, 5:15 PM MDTHAIL 1.7512 N Winifred, MTMARBLE TO G0LF BALL SIZE HAIL. SHORT TERM FLASH FLOODING COVERING THE ROAD TO SEVERAL FEET NEAR THE RIVER.
Jun 17, 5:15 PM MDTHAIL 1.7512 N Winifred, MTMARBLE TO G0LF BALL SIZE HAIL. SHORT TERM FLASH FLOODING COVERING THE ROAD TO SEVERAL FEET NEAR THE RIVER.
Jun 17, 5:15 PM MDTHAIL 1.7512 N Winifred, MTMARBLE TO GULF BALL SIZE HAIL. SHORT TERM FLASH FLOODING COVERING THE ROAD TO SEVERAL FEET NEAR THE RIVER.
Jun 17, 5:20 PM MDTTORNADO12 N Winifred, MTPUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER BETWEEN WINIFRED AND HIGHWAY 191. POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO FENCES IN THE AREA.
Jun 17, 5:20 PM MDTTORNADO12 N Winifred, MTPUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER BETWEEN WINIFRED AND HIGHWAY 191. POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO FENCES IN THE AREA. REPORT CAME FROM SHERIFFS OFFICE IN LEWISTOWN. CAMPERS CAMPING IN THIS VICINITY MADE THE REPORT.
Jun 17, 5:20 PM MDTTORNADO12 N Winifred, MTPUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER BETWEEN WINIFRED AND HIGHWAY 191. POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO FENCES IN THE AREA. REPORT CAME FROM SHERIFFS OFFICE IN LEWISTOWN. CAMPERS CAMPING IN THIS VICINITY MADE THE REPORT.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 17, 12:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 106 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 2005-06-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2005-06-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 93 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1012 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
191 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.

000 
WFUS55 KTFX 172256
TORTFX
MTC005-027-172330-
/O.NEW.KTFX.TO.W.0002.050617T2255Z-050617T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
455 PM MDT FRI JUN 17 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL FERGUS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MONTANA
  SOUTHWESTERN BLAINE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

* UNTIL 530 PM MDT

* AT 449 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 15 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF LEROY...OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF WINIFRED. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE MOST DANGEROUS PORTION OF THE STORM WILL BE...
  6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LEROY BY 510 PM MDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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.

LAT...LON 4773 10956 4760 10944 4788 10881 4806 10901

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS55 KTFX 172314
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
513 PM MDT FRI JUN 17 2005

MTC005-027-172330-
/O.CON.KTFX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050617T2330Z/
BLAINE MT-FERGUS MT-
513 PM MDT FRI JUN 17 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 530 PM MDT FOR NORTH CENTRAL
FERGUS AND SOUTHWESTERN BLAINE COUNTIES...

AT 504 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
DANGEROUS STORM IS LOCATED NEAR LEROY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE MOST DANGEROUS PORTION OF THE STORM WILL BE...
  5 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEROY BY 520 PM MDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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.

LAT...LON 4773 10956 4760 10944 4788 10891 4806 10901

$$

BLANK
000 
WWUS55 KTFX 172332
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
532 PM MDT FRI JUN 17 2005

MTC005-027-172342-
/O.EXP.KTFX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050617T2330Z/
BLAINE MT-FERGUS MT-
532 PM MDT FRI JUN 17 2005

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL FERGUS AND SOUTHWESTERN
BLAINE COUNTIES EXPIRES AT 530 PM MDT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STORM THAT PROMPTED
THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4773 10956 4760 10944 4788 10891 4806 10901

$$

BLANK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 16, 6:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBroadwater, Lewis and Clark40 min
Jun 16, 6:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXCascade, Meagher84 min
Jun 16, 7:51 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau52 min
Jun 16, 7:58 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningTFXChouteau3 hr
Jun 16, 9:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBeaverhead, Madison57 min
Jun 17, 12:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXLewis and Clark, Teton39 min
Jun 17, 3:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Judith Basin37 min
Jun 17, 3:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus49 min
Jun 17, 3:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXToole52 min
Jun 17, 4:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Liberty45 min
Jun 17, 4:41 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXFergus34 min
Jun 17, 5:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus51 min
Jun 17, 5:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXHill, Liberty27 min
Jun 17, 5:42 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBlaine83 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2005Every tornado warning in 2005Tornadoes in 2005

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.