Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2018

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Billings, MT

May 31, 2018Park County, Sweet Grass County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2018, 2:38 PM MDT for Park County, Sweet Grass County, Montana. It was in force for 52 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 31, 2018, 2:38 PM MDT (20:38 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2018, 3:30 PM MDT
In force: 52 min
Issued by: NWS Billings, MT
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Park County, MT, Sweet Grass County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:39 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 1:50 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 203 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 892 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 50 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 severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 31, 9:26 AM MDT, 5 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 9:26 AM MDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 4:15 AM MDT, 10 hours 23 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Billings MT
415 AM MDT Thu May 31 2018

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-011015-
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-
415 AM MDT Thu May 31 2018

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

* WHAT...Severe Thunderstorms.

* WHEN...This afternoon and evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Scattered thunderstorms are expected today.
  Some storms may become capable of large hail and very strong wind
  gusts.

* ADDITIONAL HAZARD CONCERNS...Very heavy rainfall is likely with
  some storms and may cause rapid rises on creeks, with localized
  flash flooding possible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Be sure to stay tuned for future updates as locations, timing, and
impacts could change.

&&

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 31, 2:32 PM MDT, 6 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Billings MT
232 PM MDT THU MAY 31 2018

MTZ040-041-064>068-312115-
Beartooth Foothills MT-Paradise Valley MT-Northern Park MT-
Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains MT-Crazy Mountains MT-
Livingston Area MT-Northern Sweet Grass MT-
232 PM MDT THU MAY 31 2018

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

At 231 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10
miles east of Bozeman, moving east at 50 mph.

Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible with this
storm.

Locations impacted include...
Livingston, Clyde Park, Springdale and Mc Leod.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

&&

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM MDT for
south central Montana.

LAT...LON 4559 11085 4559 11080 4589 11079 4612 11020
      4561 11003 4556 11086 4558 11086
TIME...MOT...LOC 2031Z 251DEG 43KT 4569 11082

Palmquist

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 30, 8:08 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Treasure	52 min
May 31, 11:48 AM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BYZ	Big Horn	23 hr
May 31, 2:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sweet Grass	43 min
May 31, 2:58 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Golden Valley	47 min
May 31, 3:11 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Golden Valley, Wheatland	34 min
May 31, 3:27 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Park, Sweet Grass	48 min
May 31, 3:40 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Carter	35 min
May 31, 3:44 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Golden Valley, Wheatland	46 min
May 31, 4:07 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Park	38 min
May 31, 4:09 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Carbon	51 min
May 31, 4:14 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sweet Grass	46 min
May 31, 4:16 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Carbon, Stillwater	43 min
May 31, 4:27 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Sweet Grass	48 min
May 31, 4:28 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Golden Valley, Musselshell	62 min
May 31, 4:58 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Stillwater	47 min
May 31, 5:07 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BYZ	Yellowstone	48 min
May 31, 5:10 PM MDT	River Flood Warning	BYZ	Big Horn	18 hr
May 31, 5:11 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Golden Valley, Sweet Grass	37 min
May 31, 5:20 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Musselshell	55 min
May 31, 5:39 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Big Horn	51 min
May 31, 4:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Sheridan	29 min
May 31, 5:08 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sheridan	52 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2018 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2018

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.