Alert archive / Montana / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Great Falls, MT

July 18, 2016Judith Basin County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 2016, 7:13 PM MDT for Judith Basin County, Montana. It was in force for 17 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 18, 2016, 7:13 PM MDT (01:13 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2016, 7:30 PM MDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.75 in

County Judith Basin County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:12 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 13 Se Geyser, MTDELAYED REPORT. MAINLY PEA-SIZE WITH A FEW QUARTER-SIZE HAILSTONES.
Jul 18, 7:37 PM MDTTSTM WND GST 626 E Geyser, MT

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

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 33 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 00:00Z on 2016-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1686 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2016-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1686 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-123 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2027 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

633 
WFUS55 KTFX 190113
TORTFX
MTC045-190130-
/O.NEW.KTFX.TO.W.0004.160719T0113Z-160719T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
713 PM MDT MON JUL 18 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN JUDITH BASIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL MONTANA...

* UNTIL 730 PM MDT
    
* AT 713 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR GEYSER...OR 14 MILES WEST OF
  STANFORD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED A
  ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH THIS STORM...AND A TORNADO MAY FORM AT
  ANY TIME.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  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 DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  GEYSER AROUND 725 PM MDT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 4711 11058 4722 11063 4733 11035 4712 11022
TIME...MOT...LOC 0113Z 240DEG 18KT 4718 11053 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

MARTIN
1 follow-up statement
182 
WWUS55 KTFX 190123
SVSTFX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
723 PM MDT MON JUL 18 2016

MTC045-190130-
/O.CON.KTFX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-160719T0130Z/
JUDITH BASIN MT-
723 PM MDT MON JUL 18 2016

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM MDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN JUDITH BASIN COUNTY...
    
AT 723 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR GEYSER...OR 13 MILES WEST OF STANFORD...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

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. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
GEYSER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 4715 11054 4724 11058 4733 11035 4718 11026
TIME...MOT...LOC 0123Z 234DEG 15KT 4721 11049 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

MARTIN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 6:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXCascade, Meagher41 min
Jul 18, 6:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXCascade, Judith Basin47 min
Jul 18, 7:30 PM MDTTornado WarningTFXJudith Basin18 min
Jul 18, 7:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXFergus, Judith Basin44 min
Jul 18, 8:17 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXPondera43 min
Jul 18, 8:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXChouteau, Fergus45 min
Jul 18, 8:44 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTFXFergus3 hr
Jul 18, 9:02 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXGlacier58 min
Jul 18, 9:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXBlaine, Fergus50 min
Jul 18, 10:34 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXChouteau41 min
Jul 18, 10:47 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXGlacier43 min
Jul 18, 11:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTFXGlacier28 min
Jul 18, 11:21 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXBlaine54 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Montana, 2016Every tornado warning in 2016Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.