Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Great Falls, MT

July 7, 2017Blaine County, Hill County, Phillips County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this red flag warning at Jul 7, 2017, 2:43 PM MDT for Blaine County, Hill County, Phillips County, Montana. It took effect at Jul 8, 2017, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 10 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 7, 2017, 2:43 PM MDT (20:43 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 8, 2017, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Jul 8, 2017, 10:29 PM MDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS Great Falls, MT

Counties Blaine County, MT, Hill County, MT, Phillips County, MT

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 177 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:48 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, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 2017-07-07Temperature 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 2017-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -85 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3205 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

090 
WWUS85 KTFX 072043
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
243 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2017

MTZ113-081500-
/O.UPG.KTFX.FW.A.0002.170708T1900Z-170709T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KTFX.FW.W.0003.170708T1800Z-170709T0600Z/
Hill and Blaine Counties-
243 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON SATURDAY TO MIDNIGHT MDT
SATURDAY NIGHT...

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Red Flag
Warning, which is in effect from noon Saturday to midnight MDT
Saturday night. the Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

* IMPACTS: Low Humidities...Hot Temperatures...and Strong Gusty
  Wind will create erratic fire behavior and new fire starts
  difficult to contain.
 
* AFFECTED AREA: 
  In North Central Montana, Fire Weather Zone 113.

* COUNTIES AFFECTED: 
  In North Central Montana, Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Phillips.

* WIND: Northwest 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* HUMIDITY: As low as 13 percent.

* TEMPERATURES: Mid 90s to as high as 103 degrees.

* THUNDERSTORMS: An isolated afternoon thunderstorm producing
  little precipitation and gusty outflow winds is possible,
  however, confidence in the development of thunderstorms is very 
  low.

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
4 follow-up statements
574 
WWUS85 KTFX 081000
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
400 AM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

MTZ113-082200-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0003.170708T1800Z-170709T0600Z/
Hill and Blaine Counties-
400 AM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT...

* IMPACTS: Low Humidities...Hot Temperatures...and Strong Gusty
  Winds will create erratic fire behavior and new fire starts will
  be difficult to contain.
 
* AFFECTED AREA: 
  In North Central Montana, Fire Weather Zone 113.

* COUNTIES AFFECTED: 
  In North Central Montana, Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Phillips.

* WIND: Northwest 10 to 20 mph...with gusts up to 30 mph.

* HUMIDITY: As low as 12 percent.

* TEMPERATURES: Mid 90s to lower 100's. 

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
075 
WWUS85 KTFX 081624
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1024 AM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

MTZ113-090600-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0003.170708T1800Z-170709T0600Z/
Hill and Blaine Counties-
1024 AM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY UNTIL 
MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT...

* IMPACTS: Low Humidities...Hot Temperatures...and Strong Gusty
  Winds will create erratic fire behavior and new fire starts will
  be difficult to contain.

* AFFECTED AREA: 
  In North Central Montana, Fire Weather Zone 113.

* COUNTIES AFFECTED: 
  In North Central Montana, Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Phillips.

* WIND: Northwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.

* HUMIDITY: As low as 11 percent.

* TEMPERATURES: Mid-90s to lower 100's.

* SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS: Erratic and gusty winds will be possible 
  beneath any collapsing shower or thunderstorm.

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
997 
WWUS85 KTFX 082036
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
236 PM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

MTZ113-090600-
/O.CON.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-170709T0600Z/
Hill and Blaine Counties-
236 PM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

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

* IMPACTS: Low Humidities...Hot Temperatures...and Strong Gusty
  Winds will create erratic fire behavior and new fire starts will
  be difficult to contain. 

* AFFECTED AREA: 
  In North Central Montana, Fire Weather Zone 113.

* COUNTIES AFFECTED: 
  In North Central Montana, Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Phillips.

* WIND: Northwest 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* HUMIDITY: As low as 11 percent.

* TEMPERATURES: Mid-90s to lower 100's.

* SHOWERS: Erratic and gusty winds will be possible beneath any
  collapsing shower this afternoon. Little to no precipitation is 
  expected.

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
826 
WWUS85 KTFX 090429
RFWTFX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1029 PM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

MTZ113-090530-
/O.CAN.KTFX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-170709T0600Z/
Hill and Blaine Counties-
1029 PM MDT Sat Jul 8 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has cancelled the Red
Flag Warning for Hill and Blaine Counties.

Relative humidity has risen above 20 percent for most of the area
and winds have generally decreased to less than 10 mph.

$$

http://weather.gov/greatfalls

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 6:36 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXBroadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark and 2 more54 min
Jul 6, 10:11 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementTFXBeaverhead, Broadwater, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison34 min
Jul 7, 3:37 AM MDTFire Weather WatchTFXBlaine, Hill, Phillips11 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.