Alert archive / Montana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1419

August 4, 2021Liberty County, Toole County, Montana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 4, 2021, 4:25 PM MDT for Liberty County, Toole County, Montana. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 4, 2021, 4:25 PM MDT (22:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 4, 2021, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Liberty County, MT, Toole County, MT

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:25 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, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 146 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 2021-08-04Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Great_falls, MT at 12:00Z on 2021-08-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -14 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
3035 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

331 
ACUS11 KWNS 042225
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 042225 
MTZ000-050030-

Mesoscale Discussion 1419
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0525 PM CDT Wed Aug 04 2021

Areas affected...Parts of northwestern into north central Montana

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 042225Z - 050030Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Strong thunderstorm development, including a few supercell
structures, probably will continue near and north through east of
Cut Bank into 6-8 PM MDT time frame, posing a risk for severe hail
and locally strong surface gusts.

DISCUSSION...Vigorous thunderstorm development appears underway to
the northwest and north of Cut Bank.  This is occurring within the
crest of large-scale mid-level ridging, where forcing for ascent,
associated with weak low-level upslope flow and an approaching
mid-level short wave trough migrating through the broader-scale
anticyclonic flow, may support the maintenance of convection into
the 00-02Z time frame.

A seasonably warm and deeply-mixed boundary layer (with 40+ F
surface temp/dew point spreads) across this region appears
characterized by modest CAPE on the order of 500-1000 J/kg. 
However, within the cloud-bearing layer, mean flow may be in excess
of 30 kt, with unidirectional but strong westerly shear.

This environment may remain supportive of the formation of
additional splitting supercell structures with the potential to
produce severe hail and at least locally strong downbursts.  It is
possible that consolidating surface cold pools could begin to
support some upscale convective growth, with a tendency to propagate
south-southeastward accompanied by a bit more substantive risk for
strong surface gusts by early evening.

..Kerr/Hart.. 08/04/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...TFX...

LAT...LON   49261184 48921021 48180998 47931089 48391200 48671305
            49261184

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Montana, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.