Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 16, NWS Great Falls, MT

August 7, 20127 counties in Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this red flag warning at Aug 7, 2012, 8:23 AM MDT for 7 counties in Montana. It took effect at Aug 7, 2012, 9:00 AM MDT. It was in force for 12 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 7, 2012, 8:23 AM MDT (14:23 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 7, 2012, 9:00 AM MDT
Expired
Aug 7, 2012, 8:54 PM MDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT

Counties Blaine County, MT, Glacier County, MT, Hill County, MT, Liberty County, MT, Phillips County, MT, Pondera County, MT, Toole County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:29 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, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 115 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 2012-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-431 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2754 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 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.

231 
WWUS85 KTFX 071423
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
823 AM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012


MTZ112-080300-
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0016.120807T1500Z-120808T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-
823 AM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112.

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE GROWTH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY
  UNCONTROLLED FIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THESE
AREAS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
2 follow-up statements
974 
WWUS85 KTFX 072030
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
230 PM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012

MTZ113-080300-
/O.EXA.KTFX.FW.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120808T0300Z/
HILL AND BLAINE COUNTIES-
230 PM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 113...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 113.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 10 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE GROWTH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY 
  UNCONTROLLED FIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THESE
AREAS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

MTZ112-080300-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120808T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-
230 PM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE
112...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE GROWTH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY 
  UNCONTROLLED FIRES. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THESE
AREAS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
132 
WWUS85 KTFX 080254
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
854 PM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012


MTZ112-113-080400-
/O.CAN.KTFX.FW.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120808T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-HILL AND BLAINE COUNTIES-
854 PM MDT TUE AUG 7 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 112 AND 113...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING. 

RELATIVE HUMIDITIES HAVE RECOVERED ABOVE RED FLAG CRITERIA AND
WINDS HAVE DECREASED. THEREFORE...THE RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 6, 9:47 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXPondera43 min

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.