Alert archive / Montana / Blizzard Warnings in 2022

Blizzard Warning 4, NWS Glasgow, MT

December 22, 2022Dawson County, Richland County, Wibaux County, Montana

NWS Glasgow, MT issued this blizzard warning at Dec 22, 2022, 2:20 AM MST for Dawson County, Richland County, Wibaux County, Montana. It was in force for 15 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 22, 2022, 2:20 AM MST (09:20 UTC)
Expired
Dec 22, 2022, 5:00 PM MST
In force
15 hr
Issued by
NWS Glasgow, MT

Counties Dawson County, MT, Richland County, MT, Wibaux County, MT

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 181 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:19 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 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 300 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 00:00Z on 2022-12-22Temperature 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2022-12-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -90 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
866 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this blizzard warning went out at Dec 22, 2:15 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 2:15 AM MST, 5 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
215 AM MST Thu Dec 22 2022

.DISCUSSION...

...Dangerous wind chills will continue until Friday across NE
Montana while blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility
at times through this afternoon...

...Will issue a Blizzard Warning for Wibaux and Dawson Counties
today...

The combination of NW winds gusting to 40+ mph and blowing snow
has created whiteout conditions across parts of Dawson and Wibaux.
Will upgrade Winter Weather Advisory to a Blizzard Warning there.

Will maintain Winter Weather Advisory over the remainder of the
forecast area today until 5 pm. Visibility has been as low as one
mile in some areas overnight. NW winds will continue at 15 to 30
mph today. Ensembles generally keep the gusty NW winds going
until late afternoon and diminishes the winds this evening.

The Arctic airmass and associated wind chill danger will continue through
Friday or Friday night. As the 1060mb surface high slides
southeast from Canada, Arctic temperatures will remain in place.
Currently, the coldest conditions are expected Thursday night and
Friday morning when widespread lows in the 30 to 40 below range
are expected. That is when the center of the Arctic high will move
through eastern Montana with mostly clear skies and light winds.

Should an overnight low occur of 30 below, it will be Glasgow's
first -30 or colder low since Feb 8, 2019 and first -30 in
December since Dec 31, 2017. For reference, the last time Glasgow
was colder than -35 was Feb 1, 2011 when the low was -37.

As the Arctic high slides east on Friday and an upper ridge
approaches for Saturday, warm air aloft will approach the region.
Some moisture overrunning a warm front to the west Friday night
will bring a chance of light snow to parts of the region. A
shortwave and surface frontal system Saturday night and Sunday
will help mix this warmer air down through the boundary layer and
put an end to the Arctic temperatures for now. There will be will
be increasing chances for mixed precipitation including snow,
freezing rain, and rain with this system.

Temperatures will be above normal for late December most of the
time next week with chances for mixed precipitation at times.

&&

.AVIATION...

Expect a range of VFR to IFR conditions today. The reduced
visibility will mainly come from areas of blowing snow today while
there will be low clouds with a mix of IFR, MVFR, and VFR ceilings.

Skies will clear this evening but ice fog may develop tonight with
temperatures in the -30s which will reduce visibility.

Winds will be northwest at 15 to 30 kts, gusting to 35 kts at
times through this afternoon. Winds will become light and variable
this evening.

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Chill Warning until noon MST Friday for Central and
Southeast Phillips...Central and Southern Valley...Daniels...
Dawson...Eastern Roosevelt...Garfield...McCone...Northern
Phillips...Northern Valley...Petroleum...Prairie...Richland...
Sheridan...Southwest Phillips...Western Roosevelt...Wibaux.

Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST this afternoon for
Central and Southeast Phillips...Central and Southern Valley...
Daniels...Eastern Roosevelt...Garfield...McCone...Northern
Phillips...Northern Valley...Petroleum...Prairie...Richland...
Sheridan...Southwest Phillips...Western Roosevelt.

Blizzard Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for Dawson...
Wibaux.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

Nearby

Blizzard Warnings in Montana, 2022Every blizzard warning in 2022

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.