Alert archive / North Dakota / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1618

August 27, 20217 counties in Montana; 11 counties in North Dakota; Butte County, Harding County, Perkins County, South Dakota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 27, 2021, 2:55 PM MDT for 7 counties in Montana; 11 counties in North Dakota; Butte County, Harding County, Perkins County, South Dakota. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 27, 2021, 2:55 PM MDT (20:55 UTC)
Expired
Aug 27, 2021, 5:00 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 21 counties

Carter County, MT, Dawson County, MT, Fallon County, MT, Richland County, MT, Roosevelt County, MT, Sheridan County, MT, Wibaux County, MT, Adams County, ND, Billings County, ND, Bowman County, ND, Dunn County, ND, Golden Valley County, ND, Hettinger County, ND, McKenzie County, ND, Mountrail County, ND, Slope County, ND, Stark County, ND, Williams County, ND, Butte County, SD, Harding County, SD, Perkins County, SD

The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 223 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:57 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

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 227 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2021-08-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 234 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2021-08-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 63 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
234 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-137 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
475 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

879 
ACUS11 KWNS 272055
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 272055 
NDZ000-SDZ000-MTZ000-WYZ000-272300-

Mesoscale Discussion 1618
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0355 PM CDT Fri Aug 27 2021

Areas affected...Northern High Plains

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 272055Z - 272300Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated thunderstorm development is possible late this
afternoon into early evening. The strongest storms will be capable
of large hail and locally severe wind gusts.

DISCUSSION...An mid/upper-level trough is moving across Montana this
afternoon. Multiple vorticity maxima are evident on WV imagery
within the larger-scale trough, but a lobe of ascent appears to
moving across eastern MT, in conjunction with a weak surface
boundary, and gradually deepening cumulus is noted across southeast
MT. While surface temperatures are not particularly warm, relatively
cool midlevel temperatures are supporting SBCAPE of 750-1500 J/kg
(per recent mesoanalyses), with weakening SBCINH. Effective shear is
generally 30-40 kt across the region, with locally higher values
across northwest SD/southwest ND/southeast MT, where surface winds
are locally backed. 

Isolated thunderstorm development is expected sometime late this
afternoon/early evening, with the most likely area across northwest
SD/southwest ND, where somewhat greater surface confluence is noted.
Long hodographs will favor a conditional potential for supercells,
with large hail and locally severe wind gusts the primary threats.
The need for a watch remains uncertain at this time, due to
potentially sparse storm coverage.

..Dean/Dial.. 08/27/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...BIS...UNR...BYZ...GGW...

LAT...LON   44660394 44830497 45350510 45720519 47670537 48440524
            48730484 48760423 48710344 48680288 48540224 46650207
            45980205 45470208 45070232 44840272 44680310 44680335
            44660394

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 6:25 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAurora, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix and 22 more2 hr
Aug 26, 7:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brule and 36 more7 hr
Aug 26, 9:45 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCUnion2 hr
Aug 27, 5:33 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCButte, Perkins, Ziebach117 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in North Dakota, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Montana, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in South Dakota, 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.