Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2015

Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Missoula, MT

August 1, 20158 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Aug 1, 2015, 4:19 AM MDT for 8 counties in Montana. It took effect at Aug 1, 2015, 2:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 7 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 1, 2015, 4:19 AM MDT (10:19 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 1, 2015, 2:00 PM MDT
Expired
Aug 1, 2015, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
7 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 10:23 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, 10.3 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 2015-08-01Temperature 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 2015-08-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
4502 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 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.

139 
WWUS85 KMSO 011019
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
419 AM MDT SAT AUG 1 2015

MTZ104>107-020300-
/O.UPG.KMSO.FW.A.0003.150801T2000Z-150802T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0004.150801T2000Z-150802T0300Z/
KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
419 AM MDT SAT AUG 1 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MISSOULA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR THE KOOTENAI...FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK...WEST
LOLO...SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION......WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE
WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* WINDS: WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS AS
  HIGH AS 25 MPH BY MID AFTERNOON...CONTINUING INTO THE EARLY
  EVENING.

* MINIMUM HUMIDITIES: RH SHOULD LOWER TO THE 6 TO 10 PERCENT 
  RANGE IN THE VALLEYS AND 15 TO 20 PERCENT IN THE MOUNTAINS. 

* HAINES INDEX: THE HAINES SHOULD INCREASE TO A 5 OR 6...MEANING 
  THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR AN EXISTING FIRE OR A NEW 
  FIRE TO DEVELOP A VERY DEEP PLUME AND GUSTY WINDS. 

* TIMING: THE WIND IS EXPECTED TO START TO PICK UP AROUND 2 P.M.
  WITH THE RH BOTTOMING OUT AND MOST UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OCCURRING
  BETWEEN 4 AND 7 P.M. SATURDAY.

$$
1 follow-up statement
882 
WWUS85 KMSO 020300
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
900 PM MDT SAT AUG 1 2015

MTZ104>107-020400-
/O.EXP.KMSO.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150802T0300Z/
KOOTENAI-FLATHEAD/GLACIER PARK-WEST LOLO-
SALISH AND KOOTENAI RESERVATION-
900 PM MDT SAT AUG 1 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES 104...105...106 AND 107...

HUMIDITY VALUES HAVE BEGUN TO RISE, WHILE WINDS ARE DECREASING AT
MOST OBSERVATION 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.