Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 16, NWS Missoula, MT

September 12, 201710 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Sep 12, 2017, 2:02 PM MDT for 10 counties in Montana. It took effect at Sep 13, 2017, 3:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 4 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
Sep 12, 2017, 2:02 PM MDT (20:02 UTC)
In effect from
Sep 13, 2017, 3:00 PM MDT
Expired
Sep 13, 2017, 7:06 PM MDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Beaverhead County, MT, Deer Lodge County, MT, Granite County, MT, Jefferson County, MT, Lewis and Clark County, MT, Madison County, MT, Missoula County, MT, Powell County, MT, Ravalli County, MT, Silver Bow County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:06 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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 226 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 2017-09-12Temperature 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 2017-09-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3806 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

542 
WWUS85 KMSO 122002
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
202 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

MTZ108>111-132015-
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0016.170913T2100Z-170914T0200Z/
East Lolo-Bitterroot-Deerlodge/West Beaverhead-East Beaverhead-
202 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM TO 8 PM MDT WEDNESDAY for
Wind and Dry Conditions...

* Affected area:
   Fire Zone 108 (East Lolo).
   Fire Zone 109 (Bitterroot).
   Fire Zone 110 (Deerlodge/West Beaverhead).
   Fire Zone 111 (East Beaverhead).

* Impacts: A combination of stronger northwest winds and
  moderately low RH will create an extreme fire weather period
  from mid afternoon Wednesday through early evening across much
  of southwest Montana.  

* Winds: West to northwest winds will increase to 15 to 25 mph by
  mid afternoon and continue through the evening.

* Minimum humidities: RH will fall to 15 to 20 percent in the
  valleys and 20 to 25 percent in the terrain. The lowest RH will
  only persist into early evening with values increasing
  significantly through the remainder of the night. 

&&

$$

MTZ104-105-130600-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0015.000000T0000Z-170913T0600Z/
Kootenai-Flathead/Glacier Park-
202 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT
TONIGHT...

* Impacts: Breezy westerly winds and low humidity will combine 
  to create Red Flag conditions this afternoon and evening. 
  Winds and humidities will be slow to improve, thus critical 
  fire conditions are expected well into the evening. 

* Winds: West-southwest 15 to 25 mph, gusting to 35 mph mainly 
  for midslopes and ridgetops. 

* Minimum Humidities: 10 to 20 percent.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
272 
WWUS85 KMSO 130451
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
1051 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

MTZ104-105-130600-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.W.0015.000000T0000Z-170913T0600Z/
Kootenai-Flathead/Glacier Park-
1051 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

The National Weather Service in Missoula has cancelled the Red
Flag Warning. 

Humidities have improved and winds are gradually decreasing, thus
critical fire weather conditions are no longer expected. 

$$

MTZ108>111-140200-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0016.170913T2100Z-170914T0200Z/
East Lolo-Bitterroot-Deerlodge/West Beaverhead-East Beaverhead-
1051 PM MDT Tue Sep 12 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM TO 8 PM MDT
WEDNESDAY...

* Affected area: Fire Zone 108 (East Lolo). Fire Zone 109 
  (Bitterroot). Fire Zone 110 (Deerlodge/West Beaverhead). Fire 
  Zone 111 (East Beaverhead). 

* Impacts: A combination of stronger northwest winds and 
  moderately low RH will create an extreme fire weather period 
  from mid afternoon Wednesday through early evening across much 
  of southwest Montana. 

* Winds: West to northwest winds will increase to 15 to 25 mph 
  by mid afternoon and continue through the evening. 

* Minimum humidities: RH will fall to 15 to 20 percent in the 
  valleys and 20 to 25 percent in the terrain. The lowest RH 
  will only persist into early evening with values increasing 
  significantly through the remainder of the night. 

&&

$$
845 
WWUS85 KMSO 140106
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
706 PM MDT Wed Sep 13 2017

MTZ108>111-140215-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.W.0016.000000T0000Z-170914T0200Z/
East Lolo-Bitterroot-Deerlodge/West Beaverhead-East Beaverhead-
706 PM MDT Wed Sep 13 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

The National Weather Service in Missoula has cancelled the Red
Flag Warning. 

Winds will continue to decrease through the evening with humidity
slowly increasing.

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 12, 2:03 PM MDTWinter Storm WatchMSODeer Lodge, Granite, Lake, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli and 1 more43 hr

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.