Alert archive / Montana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 789

May 28, 202110 counties in Montana; Sheridan County, Wyoming

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 28, 2021, 3:55 PM MDT for 10 counties in Montana; Sheridan County, Wyoming. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 28, 2021, 3:55 PM MDT (21:55 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 2021, 6:00 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Big Horn County, MT, Carbon County, MT, Carter County, MT, Custer County, MT, Fallon County, MT, Powder River County, MT, Rosebud County, MT, Stillwater County, MT, Treasure County, MT, Yellowstone County, MT, Sheridan County, WY

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 163 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:55 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

Glasgow Intl Airport, MT (KGGW), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 294 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 12:00Z on 2021-05-28Temperature 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, Glasgow Intl Airport, MT at 12:00Z on 2021-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 346 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
1536 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
346 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
399 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

240 
ACUS11 KWNS 282155
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 282155 
MTZ000-WYZ000-290000-

Mesoscale Discussion 0789
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0455 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021

Areas affected...portions of southeast Montana into extreme northern
Wyoming

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 282155Z - 290000Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Large hail and gusty winds may accompany the stronger
storms into the early evening hours. A WW issuance is unlikely given
the expected sparse coverage of severe wind/hail.

DISCUSSION...Multicellular thunderstorm clusters have been gradually
increasing in coverage and intensity across Yellowstone Country over
the past couple of hours given increased deep-layer ascent by a
passing mid-level trough. These storms are developing atop a dry
boundary layer, with the latest METAR observations showing up to 30F
temperature/dewpoint spreads, and RAP forecast soundings indicating
a dry sub-cloud layer extending up to 500 mb. Despite the dry
boundary layer, 8.5-9.5 C/km low and mid-level lapse rates are
promoting up to 1000 J/kg SBCAPE, with some convective
organization/sustenance possible given 35+ kts of effective bulk
shear. 

Much of the CAPE is contained above 700 mb, and is characterized by
low CAPE density. As such, large hail may accompany the more robust,
longer lasting multicellular clusters. Damaging gusts are also
possible given efficient evaporative cooling and downward momentum
transport within the steep lapse rate/dry low-level environment.
Nonetheless, overall convective coverage and associated brief severe
threat is expected to be relatively isolated overall, and a WW
issuance is not expected.

..Squitieri/Edwards.. 05/28/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...UNR...BYZ...RIW...

LAT...LON   45950950 46340762 46490643 46500498 46460453 46000409
            45620414 45090428 44740467 44590564 44640684 44820766
            45000887 45390944 45950950

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Montana, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Wyoming, 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.