Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 14, NWS Billings, MT

October 24, 201715 counties in Montana; Sheridan County, Wyoming

NWS Billings, MT issued this red flag warning at Oct 24, 2017, 3:01 PM MDT for 15 counties in Montana; Sheridan County, Wyoming. It took effect at Oct 25, 2017, 10:00 AM MDT. It was in force for 17 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
Oct 24, 2017, 3:01 PM MDT (21:01 UTC)
In effect from
Oct 25, 2017, 10:00 AM MDT
Expired
Oct 26, 2017, 3:17 AM MDT
In force
17 hr
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT

Counties Big Horn County, MT, Carbon County, MT, Carter County, MT, Custer County, MT, Fallon County, MT, Golden Valley County, MT, Musselshell County, MT, Park County, MT, Powder River County, MT, Rosebud County, MT, Stillwater County, MT, Sweet Grass County, MT, Treasure County, MT, Wheatland County, MT, Yellowstone County, MT, Sheridan County, WY

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:59 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, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 285 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 2017-10-24Temperature 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°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 2017-10-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 258 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2248 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
79 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
355 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this red flag warning went out at Oct 24, 10:10 AM MDT, 4 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 10:10 AM MDT, 4 hours 51 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 24, 3:01 AM MDT, 12 hours before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Billings MT
301 AM MDT Tue Oct 24 2017

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-250915-
Southern Wheatland-Musselshell-Treasure-Northern Rosebud-Custer-
Fallon-Northern Stillwater-Yellowstone-Powder River-Carter-
Southern Big Horn-Eastern Carbon-Northern Park-
Northern Sweet Grass-Golden Valley-Red Lodge Foothills-
Northern Big Horn-Southern Rosebud-Judith Gap-Paradise Valley-
Livingston Area-Beartooth Foothills-Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains-
Crazy Mountains-Northeast Bighorn Mountains-Sheridan Foothills-
301 AM MDT Tue Oct 24 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central
Montana...south central Montana...southeast Montana and north
central Wyoming.

* WHAT...Fire weather and strong wind concerns.

* WHERE...Across the region.

* WHEN...Wednesday and Wednesday night.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Wednesday will be warm, dry and windy.
  Expect temps in the 70s, humidity in the low teens, and
  increasing west winds. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible from
  Livingston and Nye, to Big Timber and Harlowton, with gusts of 30
  to 50 mph further east. A strong cold front will bring a shift
  to gusty northwest winds by Wednesday evening. Some snow showers
  are expected late Wednesday night into early Thursday, with minor
  accumulations possible, mainly along the southern foothills.

* ADDITIONAL HAZARD CONCERNS...Travel will be impacted by gusty
  crosswinds Wednesday into Wednesday night. Some slick roads are
  possible along the foothills Thursday morning.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Hazardous Weather Outlook is issued when hazardous weather could
impact the region within the next week. Be sure to stay tuned for
future updates as locations, timing, and impacts could change.
Begin preparations to mitigate any impacts that could result from
the hazardous weather.

&&

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 24, 10:14 AM MDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1014 AM MDT TUE OCT 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1000 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW BIG TIMBER        45.81N 109.98W
10/24/2017  M55.00  MPH      SWEET GRASS        MT   AWOS

&&

TWH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 24, 2:46 AM MDTWind AdvisoryBYZPark, Stillwater, Sweet Grass42 hr
Oct 24, 3:17 PM MDTHigh Wind WarningBYZGolden Valley, Wheatland38 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2017Red Flag Warnings in Wyoming, 2017Every red flag warning in 2017

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.