Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Great Falls, MT

August 2, 20168 counties in Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this red flag warning at Aug 2, 2016, 9:34 AM MDT for 8 counties in Montana. It took effect at Aug 2, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 12 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 2, 2016, 9:34 AM MDT (15:34 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 2, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Aug 3, 2016, 12:00 AM MDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT

Counties Broadwater County, MT, Cascade County, MT, Fergus County, MT, Gallatin County, MT, Jefferson County, MT, Judith Basin County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Meagher County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:35 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, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2016-08-02Temperature 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, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2016-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2996 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

308 
WWUS85 KTFX 021534
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
934 AM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016

MTZ117-118-030345-
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0003.160802T1800Z-160803T0600Z/
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
HELENA AND TOWNSEND RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE HELENA NATIONAL FOREST-
934 AM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY...GUSTY WEST WINDS...AND A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE
FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 AND 118...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS: LOW HUMIDITIES...HOT TEMPERATURES...AND WIND SHIFT WITH
  A COLD FRONT WILL CAUSE ANY FIRE THAT DEVELOP TO SPREAD RAPIDLY.

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 AND 118.

* COLD FRONT: A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 9 PM MDT
  AND MIDNIGHT WITH WINDS SHIFTING WEST.

* WIND: SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH THIS AFTERNOON INCREASING AND
  SHIFTING WEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WITH THE
  FRONTAL PASSAGE.

* HUMIDITY: AS LOW AS 1O TO 15 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES: UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S.

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 CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THESE
AREAS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
2 follow-up statements
349 
WWUS85 KTFX 022136
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
336 PM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016


MTZ117-118-030600-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-160803T0600Z/
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
HELENA AND TOWNSEND RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE HELENA NATIONAL
FOREST-
336 PM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT
FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...GUSTY WEST WINDS...AND A COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 AND 118...

* IMPACTS: LOW HUMIDITIES...HOT TEMPERATURES...AND WIND SHIFT 
  WITH A COLD FRONT WILL CAUSE ANY FIRE THAT DEVELOPS TO SPREAD 
  RAPIDLY. 

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 AND 118.

* COLD FRONT: A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 8 PM MDT
  AND MIDNIGHT WITH WINDS SHIFTING WEST.

* WIND: SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH THIS AFTERNOON INCREASING AND 
  SHIFTING WEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WITH THE 
  FRONTAL PASSAGE.

* HUMIDITY: AS LOW AS 1O TO 15 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES: UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S.

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 CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THESE
AREAS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$
695 
WWUS85 KTFX 030551
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1151 PM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016

MTZ117-118-030700-
/O.EXP.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-160803T0600Z/
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL FOREST AREAS-
HELENA AND TOWNSEND RANGER DISTRICTS OF THE HELENA NATIONAL
FOREST-
1151 PM MDT TUE AUG 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...GUSTY WEST
WINDS...AND A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL EXPIRE AT MIDNIGHT MDT
TONIGHT FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 117 AND 118...

THE COLD FRONT HAS MOVED ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA
WITH WINDS HAVING SHIFTED TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST AND HUMIDITY
HAS INCREASED TO 20 PERCENT OR HIGHER. GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT HOWEVER AND LIKELY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AS WELL.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2016Every red flag 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.