Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2015

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Missoula, MT

July 22, 20158 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Jul 22, 2015, 4:59 AM MDT for 8 counties in Montana. It took effect at Jul 22, 2015, 3:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 6 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
Jul 22, 2015, 4:59 AM MDT (10:59 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 22, 2015, 3:00 PM MDT
Expired
Jul 22, 2015, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Flathead County, MT, Glacier County, MT, Lake County, MT, Lincoln County, MT, Mineral County, MT, Missoula County, MT, Powell County, MT, Sanders County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:02 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

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 00:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Spokane, WA at 00:00Z on 2015-07-22Temperature 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, Spokane, WA at 00:00Z on 2015-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3398 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 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.

265 
WWUS85 KMSO 221059
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
459 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

MTZ105-230300-
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0003.150722T2100Z-150723T0300Z/
FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-
459 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM
MDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE
FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 


* SYNOPSIS: A SURGE OF VERY DRY AIR AND STRONG AND GUSTY WESTERLY
  WINDS WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON AND
  EARLY EVENING. THIS WEATHER COUPLED WITH FUELS HAVING RETURNED TO
  VERY HIGH TO LOCALLY EXTREME CONDITIONS, NOT TO MENTION A FEW
  WILDFIRES ALREADY ON THE GROUND, A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN
  ISSUED.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED 15-20 MPH WITH GUSTS 20-30 MPH (LOCALLY
  HIGHER) FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 10-15% VALLEYS AND 12-18% RIDGES

* TIMING: 1500-2100


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
436 
WWUS85 KMSO 221521
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
921 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

MTZ104-106-107-230300-
/O.EXA.KMSO.FW.W.0003.150722T2100Z-150723T0300Z/
KOOTENAI-WEST LOLO-SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
921 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM
MDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE
KOOTENAI...WEST LOLO...SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* SYNOPSIS: A SURGE OF VERY DRY AIR ALONG WITH STRONG AND GUSTY
  WESTERLY WINDS WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS
  AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THIS DRY AND BREEZY WEATHER
  COUPLED WITH FUELS HAVING RETURNED TO VERY HIGH TO LOCALLY
  EXTREME CONDITIONS... NOT TO MENTION A FEW WILDFIRES ALREADY ON
  THE GROUND... A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED 12-17 MPH WITH GUSTS 20-25 MPH (LOCALLY
  HIGHER) FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 12-17% VALLEYS AND 17-22% RIDGES

* TIMING: 1500-2100


&&

$$

MTZ105-230300-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0003.150722T2100Z-150723T0300Z/
FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-
921 AM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS
THE FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. 

* SYNOPSIS: A SURGE OF VERY DRY AIR ALONG WITH STRONG AND GUSTY
  WESTERLY WINDS WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS
  AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THIS DRY AND BREEZY WEATHER
  COUPLED WITH FUELS HAVING RETURNED TO VERY HIGH TO LOCALLY
  EXTREME CONDITIONS... NOT TO MENTION A FEW WILDFIRES ALREADY ON
  THE GROUND... A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED 15-20 MPH WITH GUSTS 20-30 MPH (LOCALLY 
  HIGHER) FOR SEVERAL HOURS. 

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: 10-15% VALLEYS AND 12-18% RIDGES

* TIMING: 1500-2100


&&

$$
376 
WWUS85 KMSO 230241
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
841 PM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

MTZ104>107-230345-
/O.EXP.KMSO.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150723T0300Z/
KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
841 PM MDT WED JUL 22 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS THE KOOTENAI...WEST LOLO...
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION...

SOME HUMIDITY VALUES REMAIN VERY LOW, BUT WINDS ARE DECREASING AT
MOST OBSERVATIONS SITES, SO THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED
TO EXPIRE.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2015Every red flag warning in 2015

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.