Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 18, NWS Missoula, MT

August 30, 20127 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Aug 30, 2012, 2:13 PM MDT for 7 counties in Montana. It was in force for 8 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
Aug 30, 2012, 2:13 PM MDT (20:13 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 2012, 9:45 PM MDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Beaverhead County, MT, Deer Lodge County, MT, Granite County, MT, Jefferson County, MT, Madison County, MT, Powell County, MT, Silver Bow County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 154 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:19 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, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 231 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 2012-08-30Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2012-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 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
2657 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 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.

678 
WWUS85 KMSO 302013
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
213 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

MTZ110-111-310600-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120831T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0018.120830T2013Z-120831T0600Z/
DEERLODGE/WEST BEAVERHEAD-EAST BEAVERHEAD-
213 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR
HIGH HAINES GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE
DEERLODGE/WEST BEAVERHEAD...EAST BEAVERHEAD...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. 

* WINDS: SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE INCREASING LATER THIS AFTERNOON
  15-20 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* HAINES: 6 HIGH.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: HUMIDITIES LOWERING BACK INTO 7-13 PERCENT 
  RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. 

* TIMING: WINDS WILL BE INCREASING THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE HIGHER
  TERRAIN...THEN MIX INTO THE VALLEYS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
  CONDITIONS WILL BE IMPROVING AFTER NIGHTFALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS...WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

&&

$$

MTZ109-310600-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120831T0600Z/
BITTERROOT-
213 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT
FOR HIGH HAINES AND LOW HUMIDITIES FOR THE UPPER SLOPES AND RIDGE
TOPS ACROSS THE BITTERROOT...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT. 

* WINDS: SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE INCREASING LATER THIS AFTERNOON
  12-18 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH OVER THE HIGHER
  TERRAIN.

* HAINES: 6 HIGH.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: HUMIDITIES LOWERING BACK INTO 8-14 PERCENT 
  RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. 

* TIMING: WINDS WILL BE INCREASING AND HUMIDITIES LOWERING OVER
  THE HIGHER TERRAIN THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL BE IMPROVING
  AFTER NIGHTFALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS...WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

&&

$$

IDZ103-310600-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120831T0600Z/
CLEARWATER/NEZ PERCE-
113 PM PDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES FOR THE UPPER SLOPES
AND RIDGE TOPS ACROSS THE CLEARWATER/NEZ PERCE...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS
EVENING. 

* WINDS: SOUTHWEST WINDS 12-18 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH FOR THE
  UPPER SLOPES AND RIDGE ACROSS THE CLEARWATER/NEZ PERCE THIS
  AFTERNOON. LOWER ELEVATIONS... UPSLOPE/ UPCANYON 5-10 MPH.

* HAINES: 5 MODERATE.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: UPPER SLOPES AND RIDGE TOPS...HUMIDITIES 
  LOWERING BACK INTO 9-14 PERCENT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. LOWER 
  ELEVATIONS...13-20 PERCENT. 

* TIMING: WINDS WILL BE INCREASING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN LATER
  THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL BE IMPROVING AFTER NIGHTFALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING IS INTENDED TO ALERT LAND MANAGERS TO EXPECTED
WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT ALONG WITH SUFFICIENTLY DRY FUELS...WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
064 
WWUS85 KMSO 310345
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
945 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

IDZ103-MTZ109-310445-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120831T0600Z/
CLEARWATER/NEZ PERCE-BITTERROOT-
945 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012 /845 PM PDT THU AUG 30 2012/

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR THE CLEARWATER/NEZ PERCE...
BITTERROOT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING.

HUMIDITIES HAVE RECOVERED AND THE ATMOSPHERE STABILIZED ENOUGH
THIS EVENING TO CANCEL RED FLAG WARNING.

$$

MTZ110-111-310445-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120831T0600Z/
DEERLODGE/WEST BEAVERHEAD-EAST BEAVERHEAD-
945 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR THE DEERLODGE/WEST
BEAVERHEAD...EAST BEAVERHEAD...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING.

HUMIDITIES HAVE RECOVERED AND THE ATMOSPHERE STABILIZED ENOUGH
THIS EVENING TO CANCEL RED FLAG WARNING.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2012Every red flag 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.