Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Missoula, MT

July 15, 201711 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Jul 15, 2017, 2:00 PM MDT for 11 counties in Montana. It took effect at Jul 16, 2017, 3:00 AM MDT. It was in force for 18 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
Jul 15, 2017, 2:00 PM MDT (20:00 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 16, 2017, 3:00 AM MDT
Expired
Jul 16, 2017, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
18 hr
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Flathead County, MT, Glacier County, MT, Granite County, MT, Lake County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Lincoln County, MT, Mineral County, MT, Missoula County, MT, Powell County, MT, Ravalli County, MT, Sanders County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:01 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

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 186 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, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2017-07-15Temperature 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, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2017-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 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
2875 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

252 
WWUS85 KMSO 152000
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
200 PM MDT Sat Jul 15 2017

MTZ104-162000-
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0001.170716T0900Z-170717T0300Z/
Kootenai-
200 PM MDT Sat Jul 15 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 9 PM MDT SUNDAY...

* Affected area:
   Fire Zone 104 (Kootenai).

* Impacts: Hold overs from lightning, and new and existing fires
  will likely spread on Sunday. 

* Winds: 15-25 mph, higher on ridges, with and behind the cold 
  front Sunday morning and continuing through the afternoon.
 
* Minimum Humidities: 15-25 percent. 

&&

$$

MTZ105>107-162000-
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0001.170716T1200Z-170717T0300Z/
Flathead/Glacier Park-West Lolo-Salish and Kootenai Reservation-
200 PM MDT Sat Jul 15 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM MDT SUNDAY...

* Affected area:
   Fire Zone 105 (Flathead/Glacier Park).
   Fire Zone 106 (West Lolo).
   Fire Zone 107 (Salish and Kootenai Reservation).

* Impacts: Hold overs from lightning, and new and existing fires 
  will likely spread rapidly on Sunday. 

* Winds: 15-25 mph, higher on ridges, with and behind the cold 
  front Sunday morning and continuing through the afternoon.

* Minimum Humidities: 15-25 percent.

&&

$$

MTZ108-109-162000-
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0001.170716T1200Z-170717T0300Z/
East Lolo-Bitterroot-
200 PM MDT Sat Jul 15 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM MDT SUNDAY...

* Affected area:
   Fire Zone 108 (East Lolo).
   Fire Zone 109 (Bitterroot).

* Impacts: Hold overs from lightning, and new and existing fires 
  will likely spread rapidly on Sunday.

* Winds: 10-20 mph in the morning increasing 15-25 mph with gusts
  35 mph, higher on ridges, with and behind the cold front 
  Sunday.
 
* Minimum Humidities: 15-20 percent.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
258 
WWUS85 KMSO 170301
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
901 PM MDT Sun Jul 16 2017

MTZ104-170415-
/O.EXP.KMSO.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-170717T0300Z/
Kootenai-
901 PM MDT Sun Jul 16 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

Relative humidity is increasing with decreasing winds this 
evening...so the red flag warning is allowed to expire. 


&&

$$

MTZ105>107-170415-
/O.EXP.KMSO.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-170717T0300Z/
Flathead/Glacier Park-West Lolo-Salish and Kootenai Reservation-
901 PM MDT Sun Jul 16 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

Relative humidity is increasing with decreasing winds this 
evening...so the red flag warning is allowed to expire. 

&&

$$

MTZ108-109-170415-
/O.EXP.KMSO.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-170717T0300Z/
East Lolo-Bitterroot-
901 PM MDT Sun Jul 16 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

Relative humidity is increasing with decreasing winds this 
evening...so the red flag warning is allowed to expire. 

&&

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 6:16 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOMissoula29 min
Jul 14, 7:57 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOMissoula33 min
Jul 15, 2:29 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSODeer Lodge46 min
Jul 15, 2:58 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSORavalli62 min
Jul 15, 3:35 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSORavalli40 min
Jul 15, 4:03 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSORavalli27 min
Jul 15, 4:16 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSORavalli59 min
Jul 15, 4:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOMissoula, Ravalli33 min
Jul 15, 4:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMSOMissoula, Ravalli46 min
Jul 15, 5:13 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSODeer Lodge47 min
Jul 15, 5:41 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMSODeer Lodge64 min
Jul 15, 5:49 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOMissoula41 min
Jul 15, 5:53 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementMSOPowell52 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 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.