Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Great Falls, MT

March 10, 201211 counties in Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this red flag warning at Mar 10, 2012, 12:06 PM MST for 11 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
Mar 10, 2012, 12:06 PM MST (19:06 UTC)
Expired
Mar 10, 2012, 8:00 PM MST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT

Counties Cascade County, MT, Chouteau County, MT, Fergus County, MT, Glacier County, MT, Judith Basin County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Liberty County, MT, Meagher County, MT, Pondera County, MT, Teton County, MT, Toole County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:02 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, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 2012-03-10Temperature 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 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 2012-03-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 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
3125 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 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.

537 
WWUS85 KTFX 101906
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1206 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

MTZ112-110300-
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0003.120310T1906Z-120311T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-
1206 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST 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 8 PM MST THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...15 TO 25 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THIS WARNING IS PRIMARILY FOR GRASSLAND AREAS FREE OF
  SNOW COVER. THE COMBINATION OF FORECAST CONDITIONS AND DRY FUEL
  MAY RESULT IN QUICKLY SPREADING GRASS 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
596 
WWUS85 KTFX 102239
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
339 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

MTZ114-115-117-110300-
/O.EXA.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120311T0300Z/
LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT/ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT-CHOUTEAU AND FERGUS COUNTIES-
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
339 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
114...115 AND 117...

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 8 PM MST THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 114...115 AND 117.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 12 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THIS WARNING IS PRIMARILY FOR GRASSLAND AREAS FREE 
  OF SNOW COVER. THE COMBINATION OF FORECAST CONDITIONS AND DRY 
  FUEL MAY RESULT IN QUICKLY SPREADING GRASS FIRES. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

MTZ112-110300-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120311T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-
339 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE
112...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 112.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 14 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THIS WARNING IS PRIMARILY FOR GRASSLAND AREAS FREE 
  OF SNOW COVER. THE COMBINATION OF FORECAST CONDITIONS AND DRY 
  FUEL MAY RESULT IN QUICKLY SPREADING GRASS FIRES. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
664 
WWUS85 KTFX 110250
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
750 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

MTZ112-114-115-117-110400-
/O.EXP.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120311T0300Z/
EASTERN GLACIER/TOOLE/CENTRAL AND EASTERN PONDERA/LIBERTY
COUNTIES-
LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT/ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT-CHOUTEAU AND FERGUS COUNTIES-
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
750 PM MST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
114...115 AND 117...

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MST THIS EVENING. 

WINDS HAVE DECREASED THIS EVENING AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE
RECOVERING WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND INCREASING CLOUDS THUS
ALLOWING THE RED FLAG WARNING TO EXPIRE.

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS

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.