Alert archive / Montana / Special Weather Statements in 2011

Special Weather Statement, NWS Missoula, MT

June 23, 2011Flathead County, Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this special weather statement at Jun 23, 2011, 1:51 AM MDT for Flathead County, Montana. It was in force for 39 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 23, 2011, 1:51 AM MDT (07:51 UTC)
Expired
Jun 23, 2011, 2:30 AM MDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

County Flathead County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 144 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:54 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 00:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 00:00Z on 2011-06-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Spokane, WA at 00:00Z on 2011-06-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 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
2770 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement 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 special weather statement went out at Jun 22, 5:22 PM MDT, 8 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 22, 5:22 PM MDT, 8 hours 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
522 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2011

.UPDATE...INCREASED PRECIP/THUNDER COVERAGE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
AND SW MONTANA INTO CENTRAL IDAHO

&&

.DISCUSSION...RADAR SHOWING AN INCREASE IN SHOWER/THUNDER ACTIVITY
IN CNTRL ID AND WRN MT. MAJORITY OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE
DEVELOPED WILL IMPACT THE REGION WITH HEAVY RAIN. THERE IS  A FEW
STRONG CELLS IN EASTERN OREGON PRODUCING SOME SMALL HAIL WHICH MAY
IMPACT CENTRAL IDAHO OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

&&

.AVIATION...MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH.
A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AS
THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES...MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO POSSIBLY IMPACTING AIRFIELDS KBTM AND KSMN.
ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IS FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT...POTENTIALLY IMPACTING KMSO AND KGPI. A COLD FRONT IS
FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TOMORROW WITH FROPA
AT KGPI AND KMSO BETWEEN 17Z-20Z AND KSMN AND KBTM BETWEEN 19Z AND
00Z.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 311 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2011/

DISCUSSION...SOME WEAK CONVECTION HAS BEGUN TO DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN OREGON AND CENTRAL IDAHO. AT PRESENT TIME
NO UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT EXISTS SO LITTLE DEVELOPMENT BEYOND FAIR
WEATHER CUMULUS CLOUDS AND AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ARE EXPECTED
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER THIS SHOULD CHANGE
LATER THIS EVENING AS AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES
INLAND. ALL FORECAST MODELS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT AN AREA OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM OVER EASTERN OREGON AFTER 9PM
MDT AND SLOWLY PROPAGATE EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT IN A
CONTINUED UNSTABLE AIR MASS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.

THE MODELS ARE FINALLY IN AGREEMENT THAT THE COLD FRONT
WILL PASS THROUGH CENTRAL IDAHO TOMORROW MORNING AND ACROSS
WESTERN MONTANA DURING THE AFTERNOON. THIS LATTER FRONTAL PASSAGE
WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN
MONTANA TO WARM CONSIDERABLY TOMORROW...APPROACHING 80 DEGREES IN
SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE THAT SOME STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM ACROSS LEMHI COUNTY AND IN THE BUTTE
AREA. HOWEVER THESE STORMS FORMING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WILL
QUICKLY MOVE EAST OF THE DIVIDE. THE BIGGEST THREAT FROM THESE
STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN AND THE POTENTIAL FOR HAIL. ELSEWHERE
LOCATIONS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WILL LIKELY SEE SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING DURING THE AFTERNOON BUT ONLY PRODUCE
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE ALSO FORECAST
AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS
LEMHI COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE
DIRECTION OF THE WIND WILL NOT BE FAVORABLE FOR EXCEPTIONAL WINDS
ACROSS FLATHEAD LAKE. HOWEVER BREEZY CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY
WILL LIKELY PRODUCE A BIT MORE CHOP ON THE LAKE THAN NORMAL.

FRIDAY WILL BE A BREEZY...POST FRONTAL DAY WITH THE CHANCE FOR
SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA WHERE A
WEAK...STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY PERSISTS. ANOTHER AREA OF
POTENTIAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST
MONTANA AS A LARGE...COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER
WESTERN CANADA SLOWLY DIPS OVER THE PACIFIC AND INLAND
NORTHWESTERN STATES.

SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...UNTIL RECENTLY...MODEL GUIDANCE HAD
BEEN PRODUCING WILDLY DIVERGENT SOLUTIONS FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST
PERIODS. ECMWF AND GFS HAVE SINCE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH
RESPECT TO THIS WEEKEND...BOTH DEPICTING A FAIRLY COOL PACIFIC STORM
SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CANADIAN ROCKIES. THIS SYSTEM WILL
COOL THE NORTHERN U.S. ROCKIES AND INTRODUCE SOME SCATTERED
PRECIPITATION. DESPITE THIS COOL WEATHER...RIVER AND STREAM LEVELS
WILL REMAIN HIGH...WITH SOME OVER FLOOD STAGE...THROUGH THE END OF
THIS WEEKEND. EARLY NEXT WEEK...MODEL GUIDANCE AGREES ON A
STRENGTHENING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BEING PRESENT OVER THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES. THIS RIDGE APPEARS TO BRING SIGNIFICANT WARMTH ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA...WITH VALLEY TEMPERATURES PUSHING
90 DEGREES. WIDELY SCATTERED TERRAIN BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING DURING EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS
HEAT MAY SIGNAL ANOTHER ROUND OF RISING RIVER AND STREAMS DUE TO
HIGH ELEVATION SNOW MELT.

AVIATION...MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH.
A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AS
THE ATMOSPHERE DESTABILIZES...MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO POSSIBLY IMPACTING AIRFIELDS KBTM AND KSMN.
ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IS FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT...POTENTIALLY IMPACTING KMSO AND KGPI. A COLD FRONT IS
FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TOMORROW WITH FROPA
AT KGPI AND KMSO BETWEEN 17Z-20Z AND KSMN AND KBTM BETWEEN 19Z AND
00Z.

NOTE: FLOOD WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES WILL NOT BE LISTED BELOW.

&&

NOTE: FLOOD WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES WILL NOT BE LISTED BELOW.

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...NONE.
ID...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...RPN
LONG TERM....ZUMPFE
AVIATION...NOLTE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 22, 9:28 PM MDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jun 23, 1:51 AM MDT, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
151 AM MDT THU JUN 23 2011

MTZ001>003-230830-
FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-WEST GLACIER/BOB
MARSHALL REGION-
151 AM MDT THU JUN 23 2011

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL FLATHEAD COUNTY UNTIL 230
AM MDT...

AT 148 AM MDT...STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF KALISPELL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...KALISPELL...
EVERGREEN...WHITEFISH...COLUMBIA FALLS...LA SALLE AND HUNGRY HORSE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INDOORS AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...MOVE TO A WELL
PROTECTED AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 4851 11437 4840 11403 4803 11436 4811 11460
TIME...MOT...LOC 0751Z 206DEG 17KT 4816 11442

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 11:17 AM MDTAreal Flood WarningMSODeer Lodge14 days
Jun 23, 11:49 AM MDTAreal Flood WarningMSOMissoula68 hr
Jun 23, 12:19 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOFlathead41 min
Jun 23, 12:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOFlathead34 min
Jun 23, 1:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOMissoula, Powell26 min
Jun 22, 6:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOClearwater34 min
Jun 22, 9:28 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOLewis47 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Montana, 2011Every special weather statement in 2011

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.