Alert archive / Montana / Heavy Snow Warnings in 2008

Heavy Snow Warning 9, NWS Missoula, MT

February 8, 20085 counties in Montana; Clearwater County, Idaho County, Lemhi County, Idaho

NWS Missoula, MT issued this heavy snow warning at Feb 8, 2008, 9:47 AM MST for 5 counties in Montana; Clearwater County, Idaho County, Lemhi County, Idaho. It was in force for 18 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 8, 2008, 9:47 AM MST (16:47 UTC)
Expired
Feb 9, 2008, 3:44 AM MST
In force
18 hr
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Clearwater County, ID, Idaho County, ID, Lemhi County, ID, Granite County, MT, Mineral County, MT, Missoula County, MT, Ravalli County, MT, Sanders County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:52 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 nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2008-02-08Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2008-02-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 428 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
773 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
99 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
428 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
481 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this heavy snow warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this heavy snow warning went out at Feb 8, 8:58 AM MST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 8:58 AM MST, 49 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 8, 4:03 AM MST, 5 hours 44 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
403 AM MST FRI FEB 8 2008

IDZ005>007-MTZ001-004-090000-
NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-
LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-
403 AM MST FRI FEB 8 2008 /303 AM PST FRI FEB 8 2008/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
IDAHO...NORTHWEST MONTANA AND WEST CENTRAL MONTANA.

FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES...GO
TO WEATHER.GOV/MISSOULA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

LOWER ELEVATION SITES...MAINLY IN NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...MAY SEE
AFTERNOON RAIN TODAY. THIS WILL ADD ADDITIONAL WEIGHT TO SNOW ATOP
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SOUTHERLY WINDS ON SUNDAY WILL BRING WARMER AIR INTO THE AREA.
SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN THROUGH THE
BEGINNING OF THE WEEK. RAINFALL ON SNOW MAY OCCUR WITH SNOW LOADING
BEING THE MAIN CONCERN. ADDITIONAL WEIGHT WILL ADD STRESS TO
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES. ALSO...MOUNTAIN SNOWPACK MAY BECOME
UNSTABLE WITH THE ADDITIONAL WEIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

IDZ008>010-MTZ002-003-005>007-043-090000-
LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION-WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-
EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-WEST GLACIER REGION-FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-
MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS-BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-
BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION-POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION-
403 AM MST FRI FEB 8 2008 /303 AM PST FRI FEB 8 2008/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
IDAHO...NORTHWEST MONTANA AND WEST CENTRAL MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

MOIST WESTERLY FLOW WILL BRING MAINLY MOUNTAIN SNOW TO THE REGION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ENERGETIC WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MAINLY MOUNTAIN
SNOW TO THE REGION INTO NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 8, 8:32 AM MSTBlowing Snow AdvisoryMSODeer Lodge, Granite, Powell, Silver Bow13 hr
Feb 8, 2:48 PM MSTWinter Storm WarningMSOFlathead, Lake24 hr

Nearby

Heavy Snow Warnings in Montana, 2008Heavy Snow Warnings in Idaho, 2008Every heavy snow warning in 2008

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.