Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Great Falls, MT

June 5, 2012Chouteau County, Hill County, Liberty County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Jun 5, 2012, 8:09 PM MDT for Chouteau County, Hill County, Liberty County, Montana. It was in force for 45 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 5, 2012, 8:09 PM MDT (02:09 UTC)
Expired
Jun 5, 2012, 8:54 PM MDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chouteau County, MT, Hill County, MT, Liberty County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:10 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
Jun 5, 2:37 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 298 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 00:00Z on 2012-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 880 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 00:00Z on 2012-06-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 244 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
880 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-226 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
244 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
359 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

865 
WFUS55 KTFX 060209
TORTFX
MTC015-041-051-060315-
/O.NEW.KTFX.TO.W.0009.120606T0209Z-120606T0315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
809 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL CHOUTEAU COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...
  SOUTHWESTERN HILL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...
  EAST CENTRAL LIBERTY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...

* UNTIL 915 PM MDT.

* AT 805 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW A STORM CAPABLE OF 
  PRODUCING A TORNADO ABOUT 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF BIG SANDY...MOVING 
  NORTHWEST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE INVERNESS AND JOPLIN.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
WALNUT SIZE HAIL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT BECAUSE THEY ARE HARD TO
SEE. TAKE COVER NOW. IF A BASEMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE...MOVE TO AN
INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND
VEHICLES FOR REINFORCED SHELTER. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

&&

LAT...LON 4842 11098 4878 11082 4869 11038 4825 11011
      4810 11041
TIME...MOT...LOC 0208Z 174DEG 46KT 4831 11038

$$

BRUSDA
2 follow-up statements
713 
WWUS55 KTFX 060224
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
824 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

MTC015-060234-
/O.CAN.KTFX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120606T0315Z/
CHOUTEAU MT-
824 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL CHOUTEAU COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM MDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWESTERN MONTANA.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

LAT...LON 4831 11060 4842 11098 4878 11082 4869 11038
      4832 11015
TIME...MOT...LOC 0224Z 130DEG 97KT 4853 11075

$$

MTC041-051-060315-
/O.CON.KTFX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120606T0315Z/
HILL MT-LIBERTY MT-
824 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM MDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL LIBERTY AND WEST CENTRAL HILL COUNTIES...

AT 819 PM MDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION. THIS DANGEROUS STORM IS 
LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTH OF RUDYARD...OR 18 MILES EAST OF 
CHESTER...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 30 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

&&

LAT...LON 4831 11060 4842 11098 4878 11082 4869 11038
      4832 11015
TIME...MOT...LOC 0224Z 130DEG 97KT 4853 11075

$$

BRUSDA
751 
WWUS55 KTFX 060254
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
854 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

MTC041-051-060304-
/O.CAN.KTFX.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-120606T0315Z/
HILL MT-LIBERTY MT-
854 PM MDT TUE JUN 5 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL LIBERTY AND WEST CENTRAL HILL
COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER
SEVERE...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM MDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWESTERN MONTANA.

LAT...LON 4831 11060 4842 11098 4878 11082 4869 11038
      4832 11015
TIME...MOT...LOC 0254Z 130DEG 97KT 4904 11171

$$

BRUSDA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 5, 6:06 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXBeaverhead39 min
Jun 5, 6:08 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXCascade67 min
Jun 5, 6:11 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus, Judith Basin49 min
Jun 5, 6:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus, Judith Basin59 min
Jun 5, 6:52 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXBlaine, Chouteau, Fergus23 min
Jun 5, 7:06 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXBlaine, Chouteau, Fergus, Hill24 min
Jun 5, 7:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau51 min
Jun 5, 7:29 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXBlaine, Chouteau, Hill46 min
Jun 5, 8:03 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXCascade42 min
Jun 5, 9:02 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXLiberty43 min
Jun 5, 9:04 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXTeton41 min
Jun 5, 9:29 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXChouteau61 min
Jun 5, 9:35 PM MDTHigh Wind WatchTFX7 hr
Jun 5, 10:09 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXPondera51 min
Jun 5, 10:12 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXChouteau48 min
Jun 6, 4:20 AM MDTHigh Wind WarningTFX16 hr
Jun 6, 9:39 AM MDTRiver Flood WarningTFXCascade3 days
Jun 6, 9:39 AM MDTRiver Flood WarningTFXCascade3 days

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.