Alert archive / Montana / Red Flag Warnings in 2021

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Missoula, MT

March 27, 20214 counties in Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this red flag warning at Mar 27, 2021, 11:43 AM MDT for 4 counties in Montana. It took effect at Mar 28, 2021, 1:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 6 hr. 6 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 27, 2021, 11:43 AM MDT (17:43 UTC)
In effect from: Mar 28, 2021, 1:00 PM MDT
Expired: Mar 28, 2021, 7:00 PM MDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS Missoula, MT

Counties Beaverhead County, MT, Jefferson County, MT, Madison County, MT, Silver Bow County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 200 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:49 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 28, 3:15 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 54	5 Nne Cameron, MT	AWOS STATION KEKS ENNIS BIG SKY AWOS.
Mar 28, 4:15 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 55	5 Nne Cameron, MT	AWOS STATION KEKS ENNIS BIG SKY AWOS.
Mar 28, 5:15 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 46	2 Wnw Butte, MT	MESONET STATION MTM46 1.5 W BUTTE (MT-MESO).
Mar 28, 5:16 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 55	5 Ene Dillon, MT	ASOS STATION KDLN DILLON.
Mar 28, 5:42 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 61	4 Nne Mcallister, MT	MESONET STATION MTNOR NORRIS HILL (MT DOT). FIRST 58+ MPH WIND GUST AND PEAK WIND GUST SO FAR AT THIS LOCATION FOR THIS WIND EVENT.
Mar 28, 6:50 PM MDT	NON-TSTM WND GST 62	Lakeview, MT	CENTRAL WFL.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Great_falls, MT (KTFX), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 246 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: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1388 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 86 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 230 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 261 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

701 
WWUS85 KMSO 271743
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
1143 AM MDT Sat Mar 27 2021

MTZ110-271845-
/O.CAN.KMSO.FW.A.0001.210328T1800Z-210329T0300Z/
Deerlodge/West Beaverhead-
1143 AM MDT Sat Mar 27 2021

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS CANCELLED...

The National Weather Service in Missoula has cancelled the Fire
Weather Watch. 

$$

MTZ111-281745-
/O.UPG.KMSO.FW.A.0001.210328T1800Z-210329T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KMSO.FW.W.0001.210328T1900Z-210329T0100Z/
East Beaverhead-
1143 AM MDT Sat Mar 27 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 7 PM MDT SUNDAY...

The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. 

* Affected area: Fire Zone 111 (East Beaverhead). 

* Impacts: Strong wind and low humidity will combine during the
  afternoon and create a critical period for fire weather. Any
  fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Even though 
  humidity will increase in the evening, strong winds will persist
  through the night.

* Winds: Southwest 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph

* Minimum humidities: 16-20 percent

&&

$$

1 follow-up statement

036 
WWUS85 KMSO 281006
RFWMSO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Missoula MT
406 AM MDT Sun Mar 28 2021

MTZ111-290100-
/O.CON.KMSO.FW.W.0001.210328T1900Z-210329T0100Z/
East Beaverhead-
406 AM MDT Sun Mar 28 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
7 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

* Affected area: Fire Zone 111 (East Beaverhead). 

* Impacts: Strong winds and low humidity will produce critical
  fire weather conditions. Any fires in grass and rangelands will
  spread rapidly. Even though humidity will increase in the 
  evening, strong winds will persist through the night. 

* Wind: Southwest 20-35 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

* Humidity: 16-20 percent

&&

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 27, 1:58 PM MDT	High Wind Warning	MSO	Deer Lodge, Flathead, Granite, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral and 5 more	43 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Montana, 2021 Every red flag warning in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.