Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2020

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Billings, MT

August 6, 20204 counties in Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this red flag warning at Aug 6, 2020, 2:44 PM MDT for 4 counties in Montana. It took effect at Aug 7, 2020, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 9 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: Aug 6, 2020, 2:44 PM MDT (20:44 UTC)
In effect from: Aug 7, 2020, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired: Aug 7, 2020, 8:43 PM MDT
In force: 9 hr
Issued by: NWS Billings, MT

Counties Golden Valley County, MT, Musselshell County, MT, Sweet Grass County, MT, Wheatland County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:44 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-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: 59 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -467 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2592 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 105 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 red flag 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 red flag warning went out at Aug 6, 9:13 AM MDT, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 9:13 AM MDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 6, 1:09 PM MDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Billings MT
109 PM MDT Thu Aug 6 2020

MTZ040-064-065-067-068-061945-
Paradise Valley MT-Northern Park MT-Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains MT-
Crazy Mountains MT-Livingston Area MT-
109 PM MDT Thu Aug 6 2020

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

At 105 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a a cluster of strong
thunderstorm near Livingston, moving northeast at 25 mph.

Wind gusts to 50 mph are possible with this activity, small hail up
to half inch hail is also possible.

Locations impacted include...
Livingston, Clyde Park, Pine Creek, Springdale, Wilsall and Emigrant.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
office in Billings.

&&

LAT...LON 4535 11094 4535 11092 4553 11090 4553 11086
      4559 11085 4559 11080 4601 11078 4609 11020
      4591 11021 4589 11028 4586 11030 4579 11029
      4578 11022 4536 11023 4533 11095
TIME...MOT...LOC 1905Z 222DEG 21KT 4571 11066

Gilstad

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 6, 2:29 AM MDT	Fire Weather Watch	BYZ	Golden Valley, Musselshell, Sweet Grass, Wheatland	12 hr
Aug 6, 1:09 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Park	36 min
Aug 6, 2:49 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Stillwater	41 min
Aug 6, 3:50 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Golden Valley, Stillwater	40 min
Aug 6, 4:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Yellowstone	43 min
Aug 6, 4:57 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Powder River	49 min
Aug 6, 5:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Big Horn, Yellowstone	51 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2020 Every red flag warning in 2020

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.