Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Billings, MT

August 2, 2012Carter County, Powder River County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 2, 2012, 3:15 PM MDT for Carter County, Powder River County, Montana. It was in force for 26 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
Aug 2, 2012, 3:15 PM MDT (21:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 2012, 3:41 PM MDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Carter County, MT, Powder River County, MT

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 231 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:18 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 2, 2:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KRAP), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 232 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, Rapid City, SD at 12:00Z on 2012-08-02Temperature 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, Rapid City, SD at 12:00Z on 2012-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -120 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2040 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-117 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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 2, 3:09 PM MDT, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 3:09 PM MDT, 6 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 2, 3:06 AM MDT, 12 hours 9 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
306 AM MDT THU AUG 2 2012

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-030915-
SOUTHERN WHEATLAND-MUSSELSHELL-TREASURE-NORTHERN ROSEBUD-CUSTER-
FALLON-NORTHERN STILLWATER-YELLOWSTONE-POWDER RIVER-CARTER-
SOUTHERN BIG HORN-EASTERN CARBON-NORTHERN PARK-
NORTHERN SWEET GRASS-GOLDEN VALLEY-RED LODGE FOOTHILLS-
NORTHERN BIG HORN-SOUTHERN ROSEBUD-JUDITH GAP-PARADISE VALLEY-
LIVINGSTON AREA-BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS-ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS-
CRAZY MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS-SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS-
306 AM MDT THU AUG 2 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT AS WINDS INCREASE AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL
CROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MONTANA THIS
AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY WILL SEE COOLER TEMPERATURES AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES BUT
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BE STRONG...WHICH WILL RESULT
IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS CONTINUING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

HOOLEY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 2, 1:33 PM MDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
133 PM MDT THU AUG 2 2012

MTZ032-033-036-037-022030-
CARTER MT-CUSTER MT-FALLON MT-POWDER RIVER MT-
133 PM MDT THU AUG 2 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN POWDER RIVER...WESTERN
FALLON...SOUTHEASTERN CUSTER AND WESTERN CARTER COUNTIES UNTIL 230 PM
MDT...

AT 128 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING FROM SOUTHEAST OF
MILES CITY IN CUSTER COUNTY...SOUTHWARD TO NEAR BIDDLE IN POWDER
RIVER COUNTY. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

STORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE CAPABLE OF HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN
DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.

AREAS AFFECTED THROUGH 230 PM INCLUDE...RIDGE...BOYES...HAMMOND AND
POWDERVILLE.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING. LISTEN FOR FURTHER UPDATES THIS AFTERNOON AS THESE
STORMS MOVE EAST.

LAT...LON 4499 10560 4618 10559 4620 10461 4499 10462
TIME...MOT...LOC 1930Z 250DEG 15KT 4558 10531
Local storm report, Aug 2, 2:07 PM MDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
207 PM MDT THU AUG 02 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0158 PM     HAIL             3 SSE EPSIE             45.44N 105.63W
08/02/2012  E1.75 INCH       POWDER RIVER       MT   COCORAHS

&&

VICKIES
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 2:52 PM MDT, 23 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 2, 3:10 PM MDT, 5 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 1:33 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBYZPowder River57 min
Aug 2, 1:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZPowder River59 min
Aug 2, 1:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCarter, Custer, Fallon59 min
Aug 2, 2:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBYZCarter, Powder River56 min
Aug 2, 2:52 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBYZFallon53 min
Aug 2, 3:55 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBYZCarter65 min
Aug 2, 4:41 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBYZCarter34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2012Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2012

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.