Alert archive / Montana / Special Weather Statements in 2021

Special Weather Statement, NWS Great Falls, MT

August 26, 2021Fergus County, Montana

NWS Great Falls, MT issued this special weather statement at Aug 26, 2021, 5:42 PM MDT for Fergus County, Montana. It was in force for 33 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 26, 2021, 5:42 PM MDT (23:42 UTC)
Expired: Aug 26, 2021, 6:15 PM MDT
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Great Falls, MT
Hail: 0.50 in
Wind: 40

County Fergus County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:44 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, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 142 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: 67 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -300 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1944 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Aug 26, 5:27 PM MDT, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 5:27 PM MDT, 15 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:33 PM MDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
433 PM MDT Thu Aug 26 2021

MTZ051-262300-
Fergus MT-
433 PM MDT Thu Aug 26 2021

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of central Fergus County
through 500 PM MDT...

At 433 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 8 miles west of Roy to 9 miles east of Moore.
Movement was northeast at 5 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Lewistown, Roy, Fergus, Giltedge, Glengarry, Hilger and Heath.

This includes the following highways...
 Highway 200 between mile markers 73 and 98.
 Highway 191 between mile markers 1 and 2, between mile markers 1 and
42, and between mile markers 65 and 70.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

&&

LAT...LON 4761 10908 4699 10964 4680 10942 4738 10873
TIME...MOT...LOC 2233Z 193DEG 6KT 4733 10915 4693 10951

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

RCG

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:44 PM MDT, 58 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
444 PM MDT Thu Aug 26 2021

MTZ051-262315-
Fergus MT-
444 PM MDT Thu Aug 26 2021

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Fergus
County through 515 PM MDT...

At 444 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles southwest of Grass Range, or 23 miles east of Lewistown, moving
northeast at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Grass Range.

This includes the following highways...
 Highway 200 between mile markers 104 and 123.
 Highway 191 between mile markers 38 and 56.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 4690 10895 4701 10907 4725 10873 4719 10871
      4718 10874 4710 10874 4710 10862 4708 10860
      4697 10861
TIME...MOT...LOC 2244Z 230DEG 8KT 4697 10896

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

RCG

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:58 PM MDT, 44 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:10 PM MDT, 32 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:16 PM MDT, 26 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:42 PM MDT, 0 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 25, 6:27 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Jefferson	48 min
Aug 25, 6:34 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Madison	26 min
Aug 25, 8:26 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Madison	34 min
Aug 25, 8:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Meagher	28 min
Aug 26, 1:10 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Lewis and Clark	35 min
Aug 26, 1:46 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Lewis and Clark	29 min
Aug 26, 2:04 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Cascade	26 min
Aug 26, 2:26 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	34 min
Aug 26, 2:58 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	47 min
Aug 26, 3:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Judith Basin	28 min
Aug 26, 3:57 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Judith Basin	33 min
Aug 26, 4:11 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	34 min
Aug 26, 4:20 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Blaine	25 min
Aug 26, 4:31 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Chouteau	29 min
Aug 26, 4:33 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	27 min
Aug 26, 4:44 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	31 min
Aug 26, 4:58 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	32 min
Aug 26, 5:10 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Fergus	35 min
Aug 26, 5:16 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	TFX	Chouteau	29 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Montana, 2021 Every special weather statement 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.