Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Great Falls, MT

March 11, 20129 counties in Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this red flag warning at Mar 11, 2012, 2:33 PM MDT for 9 counties in Montana. It was in force for 5 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 11, 2012, 2:33 PM MDT (20:33 UTC)
Expired
Mar 11, 2012, 7:06 PM MDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT

Counties Broadwater County, MT, Cascade County, MT, Chouteau County, MT, Fergus County, MT, Gallatin County, MT, Jefferson County, MT, Judith Basin County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Meagher County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:38 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, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 80 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 2012-03-11Temperature 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 2012-03-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
2301 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
59 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.

172 
WWUS85 KTFX 112033
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
233 PM MDT SUN MAR 11 2012

MTZ117-118-120200-
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0004.120311T2033Z-120312T0200Z/
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
HELENA AND TOWNSEND RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE HELENA NATIONAL
FOREST-
233 PM MDT SUN MAR 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
117 AND 118 BELOW 5000 FEET...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING BELOW 5000 FEET FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 BELOW 5000 FEET AND 118 
  BELOW 5000 FEET.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. WINDS
  WILL SHIFT AND BECOME WESTERLY WITH A FRONTAL PASSAGE AFTER 6PM
  MDT.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS....BRIEF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS
  EVENING. 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.

&&

$$

MTZ115-120200-
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0004.120311T2033Z-120312T0200Z/
CHOUTEAU AND FERGUS COUNTIES-
233 PM MDT SUN MAR 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE
115 ABOVE 5000 FEET...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 115 ABOVE 5000 FEET.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST AROUND 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. WINDS
  WILL SHIFT AND BECOME WESTERLY WITH A FRONTAL PASSAGE AFTER 6PM
  MDT.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 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
1 follow-up statement
108 
WWUS85 KTFX 120106
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
706 PM MDT SUN MAR 11 2012

MTZ115-117-118-120215-
/O.CAN.KTFX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120312T0200Z/
CHOUTEAU AND FERGUS COUNTIES-
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
HELENA AND TOWNSEND RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE HELENA NATIONAL
FOREST-
706 PM MDT SUN MAR 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 115...117 AND 118...

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

RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CONTINUE TO RECOVER AS PACIFIC MOISTURE
INCREASES ALONG A COOL FRONT. GUSTY WINDS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THIS
EVENING IN THE VICINITY OF SHOWERS BUT THESE WILL GRADUALLY
DECREASE WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

$$

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.