Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2023

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Billings, MT

May 26, 2023Powder River County, Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 26, 2023, 3:24 PM MDT for Powder River County, Montana. It was in force for 51 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 26, 2023, 3:24 PM MDT (21:24 UTC)
Expired: May 26, 2023, 4:15 PM MDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Billings, MT
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.25 in
Wind: 50.0 mph

County Powder River County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 237 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:25 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

Riverton, WY (KRIW), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 340 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1826 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 131 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 26, 3:00 PM MDT, 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 3:00 PM MDT, 24 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 26, 2:57 PM MDT, 27 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Billings MT
257 PM MDT Fri May 26 2023

MTZ036-262130-
Powder River MT-
257 PM MDT Fri May 26 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Powder
River County through 330 PM MDT...

At 257 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles east of Biddle, or 25 miles southeast of Broadus, moving north
at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and nickel size 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...
Belle Creek.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

This storm 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 4500 10532 4531 10536 4532 10504 4523 10504
      4523 10503 4500 10504
TIME...MOT...LOC 2057Z 178DEG 15KT 4511 10516

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Vertz

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 25, 6:12 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Musselshell	30 min
May 25, 7:14 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ		46 min
May 25, 7:28 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Treasure	47 min
May 25, 7:56 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Treasure	49 min
May 25, 8:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Rosebud	41 min
May 25, 8:53 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ		37 min
May 25, 9:17 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Prairie	43 min
May 26, 2:57 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Powder River	33 min
May 26, 4:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Carter	66 min
May 26, 5:14 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BYZ	Carter, Powder River	46 min
May 26, 5:56 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Treasure	34 min
May 25, 6:35 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sheridan	40 min
May 25, 7:06 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sheridan	24 min
May 26, 5:50 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BYZ	Sheridan	40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2023 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2023

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.