Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS Great Falls, MT

May 29, 2008Hill County, Liberty County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 29, 2008, 4:00 PM MDT for Hill County, Liberty County, Montana. It was in force for 30 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
May 29, 2008, 4:00 PM MDT (22:00 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 2008, 4:30 PM MDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Hill County, MT, Liberty County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:00 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

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 2008-05-29Temperature 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2008-05-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 38 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1397 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
45 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 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 May 29, 2:46 PM MDT, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 29, 2:46 PM MDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
246 PM MDT THU MAY 29 2008

.DISCUSSION...

TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...AN UNSETTLED UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL BE
PRESENT OVER THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE SHORT TERM
PERIODS...RESULTING FROM A DEVELOPING CLOSED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST. WEAK PRECIPITATION PRODUCING FEATURES
ARE ANTICIPATED TO EXIST WITHIN THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW AROUND THIS
CLOSED LOW AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS. CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION...AS WELL AS THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY...APPEARS TO BE GREATEST DURING THIS EVENING AND FRIDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IS ANTICIPATED TO BRIEFLY
DRY OUT THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT THRU MIDDAY SATURDAY...HOWEVER THE
NEXT PRECIPITATION PRODUCING FEATURE WILL LIKELY REACH THE FORECAST
AREA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO
BE NEAR THE SEASONAL AVERAGE...WHILE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE
EXPECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE SEASONAL AVERAGE DURING THE SHORT
TERM FORECAST PERIODS AS WELL. ZUMPFE

SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...A TYPICAL SPRING PATTERN
WILL CONTINUE WITH GENERALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER. WEAK RIDGING
EARLY IN THE PERIOD OVER EASTERN MONTANA WILL ALLOW AN UNSTABLE
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT TO CONTINUE OVER THE AREA. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. BY MONDAY THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES MORE ZONAL BUT WEAK
DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO AID IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. TEMPERATURES
WILL REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES.

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...MODELS ARE GOING FOR A RATHER MOIST AND
UNSTABLE WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...BETWEEN A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
RIDGE EAST OF MONTANA AND A PACIFIC LONG WAVE TROUGH. THUS...WILL GO
FOR ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS...MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN SEASONAL AVERAGE.
WILLIAMSON DC

&&

.AVIATION...
UPDATED 1725Z.
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MOISTURE TO THE AREA.
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL AGAIN BECOME UNSTABLE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AND CONTINUING INTO
THE EARLY EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH MVFR CONDITIONS IN
THE VICINITY OF SHOWERS AND/OR THUNDERSTORMS.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
HYDROLOGIC CONCERNS CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT IN CASCADE COUNTY AND
LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY...WITH THE SUN AND DEARBORN RIVERS STILL
RUNNING AT OR NEAR FLOOD STAGE. AN AREAL FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT FOR THESE TWO COUNTIES THROUGH AT LEAST MIDDAY FRIDAY.
ZUMPFE

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  48  70  46  73 /  30  30  20  20
CTB  48  69  45  72 /  30  30  20  20
HLN  46  71  45  75 /  40  30  20  20
BZN  42  67  42  72 /  50  40  20  20
WEY  35  60  36  65 /  40  30  20  20
DLN  40  64  40  70 /  50  20  20  20
HVR  49  74  48  77 /  40  40  20  20
LWT  44  68  45  71 /  40  40  20  20

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AREAL FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR CASCADE AND LEWIS AND
CLARK COUNTIES.

&&

SHORT TERM...ZUMPFE
LONG TERM...EMANUEL/WILLIAMSON DC
AVIATION...ZELZER

WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
Hazardous weather outlook, May 29, 10:55 AM MDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1055 AM MDT THU MAY 29 2008

MTZ012-014-301200-
CASCADE-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-
1055 AM MDT THU MAY 29 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA
AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND
CENTRAL MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS
COULD BE STRONG...PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS...WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND
CENTRAL MONTANA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A FEW STORMS COULD BE
STRONG...PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ008>011-013-015-044>055-301200-
BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-
CHOUTEAU-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-
SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-
JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
1055 AM MDT THU MAY 29 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER NORTH
CENTRAL...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS COULD BE STRONG...PRODUCING GUSTY
WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS...WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE OVER NORTH
CENTRAL...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A
FEW STORMS COULD BE STRONG...PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

.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
May 29, 5:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBlaine, Chouteau, Hill46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2008Every severe thunderstorm 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.