Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Great Falls, MT

June 1, 2008Fergus County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Jun 1, 2008, 5:08 PM MDT for Fergus County, Montana. It was in force for 37 min. 1 report 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 1, 2008, 5:08 PM MDT (23:08 UTC)
Expired: Jun 1, 2008, 5:45 PM MDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Great Falls, MT
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Fergus County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:09 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 1, 5:08 PM MDT	HAIL 1	12 S Grass Range, MT	CLOUD ROTATION AND POSSIBLE FUNNELS OBSERVED TO THE WEST.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 153 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1550 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 47 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 012309
TORTFX
MTC027-012345-
/O.NEW.KTFX.TO.W.0003.080601T2308Z-080601T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
508 PM MDT SUN JUN 1 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN FERGUS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MONTANA...

* UNTIL 545 PM MDT

* AT 503 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO OVER SOUTH CENTRAL FERGUS COUNTY...OR 27 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF LEWISTOWN...MOVING EAST AT 18 MPH.

* THE MOST DANGEROUS PORTION OF THE STORM WILL GENERALLY REMAIN OVER
  RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN FERGUS COUNTY.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH.

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 4696 10859 4684 10860 4683 10862 4674 10863
      4674 10911 4696 10909 4700 10889
TIME...MOT...LOC 2308Z 274DEG 16KT 4687 10889

$$

A COHEN

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS55 KTFX 012335
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
533 PM MDT SUN JUN 1 2008

MTC027-012345-
/O.CON.KTFX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080601T2345Z/
FERGUS MT-
533 PM MDT SUN JUN 1 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM MDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN FERGUS COUNTY...

AT 528 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
DANGEROUS STORM IS LOCATED OVER SOUTHEASTERN FERGUS COUNTY...OR 22
MILES SOUTHWEST OF WINNETT...MOVING EAST AT 18 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
INDICATED COUNTY.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TO 80 MPH.

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 4696 10859 4684 10860 4683 10862 4674 10863
      4674 10911 4689 10897 4695 10886
TIME...MOT...LOC 2333Z 274DEG 16KT 4686 10873

$$

A COHEN

000 
WWUS55 KTFX 012346
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
546 PM MDT SUN JUN 1 2008

MTC027-012356-
/O.EXP.KTFX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080601T2345Z/
FERGUS MT-
546 PM MDT SUN JUN 1 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN FERGUS COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER SEVERE...
THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

RADAR INDICATED THAT HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS WERE
STILL POSSIBLE FROM THE THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 4696 10859 4684 10860 4683 10862 4674 10863
      4674 10911 4689 10897 4695 10886
TIME...MOT...LOC 2335Z 274DEG 16KT 4686 10872

$$

COHEN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 7:51 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Lewis and Clark	24 min
Jun 1, 1:43 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus	47 min
Jun 1, 2:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Cascade	44 min
Jun 1, 2:29 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus	46 min
Jun 1, 2:30 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus, Judith Basin	45 min
Jun 1, 4:57 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Fergus	48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.