Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2016

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Glasgow, MT

July 30, 2016Garfield County, McCone County, Valley County, Montana

NWS Glasgow, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 30, 2016, 8:38 PM MDT for Garfield County, McCone County, Valley County, Montana. It was in force for 52 min. 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 30, 2016, 8:38 PM MDT (02:38 UTC)
Expired
Jul 30, 2016, 9:30 PM MDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Glasgow, MT
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Garfield County, MT, McCone County, MT, Valley County, MT

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:37 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

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 52 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 2016-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 662 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2016-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 91 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
662 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-81 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
184 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 30, 1:54 PM MDT, 6 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 30, 1:54 PM MDT, 6 hours 44 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service GLASGOW MT
154 PM MDT SAT JUL 30 2016

.SHORT TERM...for northeast Montana...tonight through Mon...

Upper low over over western Canada is expected to drift east
before lifting into central Canada late Monday. Thunderstorms were
moving east across SW Sask early this afternoon are not expected
to drop into NE MT today. However, southwest flow over central
Montana and an axis of instability could generate a storm or two
that moves into our western zones before sunset. SPC's SSEO has
some winds associated with these storms but nothing severe.

Models take differing approaches on what happens with leftover
storms tonight. GFS has them drifting NE mostly into the northern
zones, less so with the NAM. The ECMWF keeps much of the activity
well north in Canada. Given that the GFS has been too dry/stable
lately, will keep the pops going overnight.

Dry line over central Montana today moves east into the eastern
zones late Sunday. Afternoon convection should fire along and
ahead of it in the late afternoon before moving into North
Dakota. SPC's Severe Thunderstorm outlook with a Marginal area
along the state border and east looks good.

With the upper low moving into the Prairie Provinces Monday, a
drier/slightly cooler airmass moves in. West winds are expected to
remain below Lake Wind Advisory criteria. TFJ

.LONG TERM...Mon night through Sat...

Monday night begins with a hot air-mass over most of the West and
upper troughs over Saskatchewan and near Vancouver Island. This
places Northeast Montana with zonal flow aloft near the boundary
between the two air-masses. Overnight and Tuesday the Saskatchewan
trough lifts into Manitoba and the other trough moves into the
Pac-NW. The movement of the troughs will build up a narrow ridge
over the local area. However by Tuesday evening the trough moves
over the Divide causing local flow aloft to back around to the
southwest, which ejects moisture into the flow.

Late Tuesday night and Wednesday the trough swings across
Northeast Montana sending a cold front that will initially bring
scattered thunderstorms that become more rain showery, mainly
across the northern zones. Brisk winds behind the front could
generate 20kt north to northwest winds. Expect below normal
temperatures for Wednesday and Thursday and near normal for the
weekend.

Made few grid edits since there was uncertainty in timing the
cold front Tuesday night and initiation of precipitation.
Otherwise, grids follow the blended pattern well.

Templer

Previous discussion:
Latest 00z models indicate that an upper ridge over the Northern
High Plains Monday night will shift east into the Dakotas by
Tuesday as a shortwave trough/closed low digs into northwest
Montana. THis will allow for increased chances for showers and
thunderstorms across the CWA. Chances may spill into the midweek,
particularly nearest the Canadian border.

An upper ridge looks to become firmly established late in the week
allowing for large scale subsidence and therefore drier and warmer
temperatures with rising heights. Highs will once more reach the
the 80s to near the 90 degree mark by about Friday. Maliawco

&&

.AVIATION...

A weak upper level ridge moves over Northeast Montana this
afternoon bringing clear skies and dry conditions based on the
northwest flow aloft and the lack of strong convective parameters.
However disturbances in southern areas of the prairie provinces
has initiated scattered thunderstorms that may drift south into
the local area.

So expect limited chances for an isolated thunderstorm to affect
any terminal. Winds will be at 5kt to 15kt from the southeast
today with stronger the winds in the west.

Sunday a broad upper trough pushing through Western Canada will
send a cold front through the local region bringing a better
chance for thunderstorms. Gusty northwest winds of 10kt to 20kt
will develop behind the cold front in the afternoon.

Templer

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 30, 6:09 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGW66 min
Jul 30, 6:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWPhillips, Valley54 min
Jul 30, 6:51 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWPhillips, Valley54 min
Jul 30, 7:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWDaniels, Valley35 min
Jul 30, 7:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWValley64 min
Jul 30, 8:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWPhillips, Valley33 min
Jul 30, 8:53 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGW67 min
Jul 30, 9:07 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWValley53 min
Jul 30, 9:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWGarfield, Valley57 min
Jul 30, 9:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWGarfield, McCone, Valley36 min
Jul 30, 9:43 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWValley62 min
Jul 30, 9:53 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWMcCone67 min
Jul 30, 10:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWGarfield, McCone, Valley35 min
Jul 30, 10:38 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWMcCone67 min
Jul 30, 10:45 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWDawson60 min
Jul 30, 11:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWDawson, McCone, Prairie30 min
Jul 31, 12:10 AM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWDawson65 min
Jul 31, 5:05 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGGWDaniels55 min
Jul 31, 5:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGGWDaniels, Sheridan, Valley60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2016Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2016

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.