Alert archive / Montana / Special Weather Statements in 2017
Special Weather Statement, NWS Great Falls, MT
NWS Great Falls, MT issued this special weather statement at Aug 9, 2017, 3:40 PM MDT for Lewis and Clark County, Montana. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 9, 2017, 3:40 PM MDT (21:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 9, 2017, 4:30 PM MDT
- In force
- 50 min
- Issued by
- NWS Great Falls, MT
County Lewis and Clark County, MT
The radar
The Missoula radar (KMSX), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:40 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, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 166 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1557 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 14 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -35 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -7 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
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</html>What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Aug 9, 3:08 PM MDT, 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 3:08 PM MDT, 32 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 308 PM MDT Wed Aug 9 2017 .SYNOPSIS... An unsettled northwesterly flow aloft will continue to reside over the region through Friday and be followed by high pressure ridging from the Pacific Northwest this weekend. As a result, expect a few passing showers and thunderstorms each day, especially over and near higher terrain. Afternoon high temperatures will be near-normal for this time of year, with readings mostly in the low to mid 80s through Sunday. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight through Friday...Just enough instability and moisture have combine with weak disturbances in nw flow to produce scattered showers and thunderstorms across the southern half of the CWA and the Rocky Mountain Front. Shear is very weak and these storms are expected to be more of the pulse type variety...with lightning and gusty winds being the biggest threats. There is enough moisture in the south where a few storms may produce brief heavy rain and perhaps 0.1 of an inch or slightly more. Elsewhere is under dry air and will see dry conditions tonight. Thunderstorms should diminish in coverage after sunset tonight. A similar pattern is expected for Thursday...with slightly warmer temperatures and showers and thunderstorm chances remaining across the Rocky Mountain Front and the southwest. RH values look to be lower on Thursday with central and northern portions possibly in the low teens. Lack of widespread wind will cause holding off on any fire weather products...however...increased fire danger is possible. Friday will see a clipper system push across the region. This will perhaps bring increased coverage of isolated thunderstorms. Temperatures may also warm to near normal readings in the mid 80s. Fire danger may also slightly improve on Friday...but still remain elevated as RH values drop into the 20s. Anglin Friday night through Tuesday...The period starts with a slow moving shortwave dropping south out of Canada FRI/FRI night. In its wake, an easterly flow may be able to advect in some higher moisture by Saturday. There are indications a modest shortwave may move through during peak heating Saturday for a somewhat better coverage of thunderstorms. After Saturday, attention turns to the much-advertised Gulf of AK low. While the ECMWF continues to insist on keeping a closed low somewhere over the Pac NW / northern Rockies, there has been a noticeable progressive trend in all model guidance, even the EC. This still doesn't clarify the exact details/impacts, but the trend is noteworthy. Given the progressive trend, the forecast leans a bit more in that direction for now, depicting a decent chance of scattered thunderstorms early next week and temperatures staying at/above climo. But, I still feel it is better to not completely lock in on one solution over another for now given the continued differences. Regardless, the one impact that most model data suggest is some potential for at least a few strong to severe thunderstorms early next week. Other impacts are also possible, so stay tuned. MARTIN && .AVIATION... Updated 1657Z. Mainly VFR and multiple disturbances embedded in northwesterly flow aloft will persist next 24-hours. A few showers and thunderstorms are possible, especially through this evening. The best chance for this activity remains over the Rocky Mountain Front and Southwest MT. Areas of wildfire smoke and mountain obscuration remain possible, mainly over Southwest MT. However, confidence in smoke reducing VSBY to MVFR or worse at any TAF site remains very low. Jaszka && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 52 84 52 84 / 0 0 10 10 CTB 50 82 49 81 / 0 10 10 10 HLN 54 87 55 86 / 10 0 10 10 BZN 48 85 50 84 / 20 0 10 20 WEY 42 74 39 75 / 30 10 20 30 DLN 47 82 49 82 / 20 10 10 10 HVR 50 84 53 84 / 0 0 10 10 LWT 48 81 52 80 / 0 0 10 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && weather.gov/greatfalls
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 2:20 PM MDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 9, 3:16 PM MDT, 24 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 9, 3:21 PM MDT, 19 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 9, 3:40 PM MDT, 0 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Great Falls, MT issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 3:16 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 29 min |
| Aug 9, 4:04 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 26 min |
| Aug 9, 4:17 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Meagher | 28 min |
| Aug 9, 4:22 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Madison | 23 min |
| Aug 9, 4:35 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 25 min |
| Aug 9, 5:06 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 24 min |
| Aug 9, 5:08 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Beaverhead | 37 min |
| Aug 9, 5:13 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Broadwater | 32 min |
| Aug 9, 5:19 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 26 min |
| Aug 9, 5:44 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Broadwater | 31 min |
| Aug 9, 5:48 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Broadwater | 27 min |
| Aug 9, 5:53 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Beaverhead | 37 min |
| Aug 9, 5:57 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Jefferson | 33 min |
Nearby
Special Weather Statements in Montana, 2017Every special weather statement 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.