Alert archive / Montana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2016

Mesoscale Discussion 1503

August 9, 201620 counties in Montana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 9, 2016, 5:35 PM MDT for 20 counties in Montana. It was in force for 85 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 9, 2016, 5:35 PM MDT (23:35 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2016, 7:00 PM MDT
In force
85 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Blaine County, MT, Broadwater County, MT, Cascade County, MT, Chouteau County, MT, Fergus County, MT, Garfield County, MT, Golden Valley County, MT, Hill County, MT, Judith Basin County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Liberty County, MT, Meagher County, MT, Musselshell County, MT, Petroleum County, MT, Phillips County, MT, Pondera County, MT, Teton County, MT, Toole County, MT, Valley County, MT, Wheatland County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:37 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

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2016-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 195 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2016-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
195 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-253 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1229 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
288 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

791 
ACUS11 KWNS 092335
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 092335 
MTZ000-100100-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1503
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0635 PM CDT TUE AUG 09 2016

AREAS AFFECTED...PORTIONS OF MONTANA

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 436...

VALID 092335Z - 100100Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 436
CONTINUES.

SUMMARY...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP EASTWARD THIS
EVENING...WITH AN ATTENDANT THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL /POTENTIALLY OVER
2 INCHES/ AND DAMAGING WINDS.

DISCUSSION...IN RESPONSE TO MID-LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS AND
TERRAIN-INDUCED CIRCULATIONS...STRONG TO OCCASIONALLY SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ORGANIZED ACROSS WEST-CENTRAL MONTANA OVER THE
LAST FEW HOURS. AS MID-LEVEL COOLING SPREADS NORTHEAST THIS
EVENING...CONVECTION SHOULD CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY FARTHER EAST OVER
CENTRAL MT...AIDED BY INCREASING LOW-LEVEL STORM-RELATIVE INFLOW AND
STRENGTHENING WARM-AIR ADVECTION. 

GGW AND BLX VWP DATA EXHIBIT AMPLE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR FOR UPDRAFT
ORGANIZATION...AS VIGOROUS MID-LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLIES OVERLIE
LOW-LEVEL EASTERLIES. MOREOVER...FAIRLY STRAIGHT MID-LEVEL
HODOGRAPHS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW SPLITTING CELLS AND/OR
BOWING SEGMENTS WHICH WOULD ENHANCE THE DAMAGING WIND POTENTIAL.
STORMS MAY BECOME ROOTED ABOVE A STABLE SFC LAYER LATER THIS EVENING
AS TEMPS COOL...BUT STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND THE
AFOREMENTIONED STRONG SHEAR WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN A POTENTIAL FOR
LARGE HAIL GROWTH IN ROTATING UPDRAFTS.

..PICCA.. 08/09/2016

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...BYZ...GGW...TFX...

LAT...LON   46221142 46060893 46460644 47610580 48670637 48841167
            48611278 47511292 46621191 46221142

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 2:19 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBroadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Granite, Jefferson and 8 more116 min
Aug 9, 3:51 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCarter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River114 min
Aug 9, 4:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCarter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River7 hr
Aug 9, 4:53 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Garfield, Glacier and 12 more7 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Montana, 2016Every mesoscale discussion 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.