Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Great Falls, MT

July 4, 20154 counties in Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Jul 4, 2015, 10:53 PM MDT for 4 counties in Montana. It was in force for 37 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 4, 2015, 10:53 PM MDT (04:53 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2015, 11:30 PM MDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Great Falls, MT
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Observed
Hail: 1.5 in

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

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:55 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 4, 11:06 PM MDT	TSTM WND GST 52	13 W Big Sandy, MT	MYERS
Jul 4, 11:10 PM MDT	TSTM WND GST 56	11 N Loma, MT	DUGOUT COULEE

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 4, 9:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 00:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 77 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 534 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2493 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 110 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

081 
WFUS55 KTFX 050453
TORTFX
MTC015-041-051-101-050530-
/O.NEW.KTFX.TO.W.0002.150705T0453Z-150705T0530Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1053 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LIBERTY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...
  SOUTHWESTERN HILL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...
  SOUTHEASTERN TOOLE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...
  NORTHWESTERN CHOUTEAU COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA...

* UNTIL 1130 PM MDT

* AT 1053 PM MDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED 16 MILES NORTHEAST
  OF THE KNEES...OR 21 MILES SOUTH OF CHESTER...MOVING EAST AT 45
  MPH.

  HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...PUBLIC CONFIRMED TORNADO. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE 
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  SOUTHEASTERN LIBERTY...SOUTHWESTERN HILL...SOUTHEASTERN TOOLE AND
  NORTHWESTERN CHOUTEAU COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A
BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY
BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN A MOBILE HOME...OR
IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4818 11032 4783 11068 4815 11135 4837 11116
TIME...MOT...LOC 0453Z 291DEG 38KT 4821 11107 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

COULSTON

1 follow-up statement

376 
WWUS55 KTFX 050522
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1122 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015

MTC041-051-101-050531-
/O.CAN.KTFX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150705T0530Z/
LIBERTY MT-HILL MT-TOOLE MT-
1122 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN LIBERTY...SOUTHWESTERN HILL
AND SOUTHEASTERN TOOLE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM MDT FOR
NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA.

LAT...LON 4818 11032 4783 11068 4797 11098 4821 11075
TIME...MOT...LOC 0521Z 291DEG 38KT 4810 11065 

$$

MTC015-050530-
/O.CON.KTFX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150705T0530Z/
CHOUTEAU MT-
1122 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM MDT FOR NORTH
CENTRAL CHOUTEAU COUNTY...
    
AT 1121 PM MDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED 18 MILES NORTH OF
FORT BENTON...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...PUBLIC CONFIRMED TORNADO. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE 
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE IS 
         LIKELY. 

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
NORTH CENTRAL CHOUTEAU COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A
BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY
BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN A MOBILE HOME...OR
IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4818 11032 4783 11068 4797 11098 4821 11075
TIME...MOT...LOC 0521Z 291DEG 38KT 4810 11065 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

COULSTON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 8:49 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Liberty	41 min
Jul 4, 9:11 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Toole	49 min
Jul 4, 9:16 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Hill	44 min
Jul 4, 9:24 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Pondera	51 min
Jul 4, 9:50 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Hill	40 min
Jul 4, 9:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Hill, Liberty, Toole	36 min
Jul 4, 9:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Hill	36 min
Jul 4, 10:12 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Liberty	33 min
Jul 4, 10:23 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	52 min
Jul 4, 10:25 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	35 min
Jul 4, 10:33 PM MDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TFX	Chouteau, Hill, Liberty	42 min
Jul 4, 10:45 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Chouteau	45 min
Jul 4, 10:49 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Cascade, Chouteau	41 min
Jul 4, 11:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Hill	44 min
Jul 4, 11:04 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Liberty	26 min
Jul 4, 11:28 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	TFX	Chouteau	19 min
Jul 4, 11:32 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Hill	28 min
Jul 4, 11:40 PM MDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Hill	35 min
Jul 4, 11:45 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Chouteau	30 min
Jul 4, 11:56 PM MDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Hill	34 min
Jul 5, 12:15 AM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Fergus	30 min
Jul 5, 12:22 AM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine	23 min
Jul 5, 12:45 AM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TFX	Blaine, Chouteau, Fergus	30 min
Jul 5, 1:17 AM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX		13 min
Jul 5, 1:45 AM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Petroleum	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.