Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2023
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 48, NWS Great Falls, MT
NWS Great Falls, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 2023, 6:29 PM MDT for Glacier County, Pondera County, Montana. It was in force for 31 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
- Aug 22, 2023, 6:29 PM MDT (00:29 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 22, 2023, 7:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 31 min
- Issued by
- NWS Great Falls, MT
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 1.0 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
Counties Glacier County, MT, Pondera County, MT
The radar
The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 144 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:28 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 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 187 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 61 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -25 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2545 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 9 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 67 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.1
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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 22, 5:50 PM MDT, 39 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 5:50 PM MDT, 39 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 550 PM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION .SYNOPSIS... Showers and thunderstorms will be possible each afternoon and evening through Wednesday as moist, southwest flow aloft persist over the Northern Rockies. The best coverage of these showers and storms is expected this afternoon and evening, with more isolated to scattered precipitation on Wednesday. && .DISCUSSION... Rest of today through Wednesday...Strong upper level ridge over the center of the CONUS, with its high centered over the Middle to Lower Mississippi Valley through Wednesday, will help to maintain moist, southwest flow over the Northern Rockies as a shortwave trough and attendant low moves northeast from the Pacific Northwest to over Central/Southern Alberta (Wednesday night). This moist, southwest flow aloft combined with fast moving shortwaves embedded within the overall flow will help to support chances for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon/tonight and then again Wednesday afternoon/evening across Southwest through North Central Montana. The strongest of these embedded shortwaves is expected to lift northeast over the Northern Rockies from the late evening through early morning hours on Wednesday, supporting the best coverage of showers and thunderstorms across the CWA. The coverage of showers and thunderstorms then Wednesday afternoon/evening is expected to be more isolated to scattered in nature given the weaker forcing with the final shortwave. Despite the weaker shortwave arriving Wednesday afternoon/evening, increasing cross barrier flow ahead of this shortwave will lead to stronger surface winds materializing across the CWA. Latest NBM probabilistic data suggests a 70% chance or greater of wind gusts reaching/exceeding 34kts across the East Glacier Park Region, Northern High Plains adjacent to the RMF, and Eastern Glacier/ Western Toole/Central Pondera Counties during the day on Wednesday, with a 80% chance or greater of reaching/exceeding 22kts across all of Southwest through North Central Montana. Despite these gusty winds during the day on Wednesday, recent precipitation and sub-critical relative humidity values will help to mitigate any fire weather concerns. - Moldan Thursday through Tuesday...The upper level ridge over the Plains will slowly retrograde westward and then rebuild over the Northern Rockies by early next week. Generally warm temperatures are expected Thursday and Friday, with temperatures then becoming hot over the weekend and into early next week. Afternoon highs are forecast to be in the mid 90s by early next week. There will be isolated storms during this period, but confidence in any storm activity is generally low, as the upper level ridge builds in and tries to dry things out once again. Brusda && .AVIATION... 550 PM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023 (23/00Z TAF Period) VFR conditions are mostly expected across North Central, Central, and Southwest Montana through at least 24/00Z. However, brief periods of MVFR/IFR conditions are possible with thunderstorms through around 06Z. An unstable southwesterly flow aloft tapping into Pacific moisture will continue scattered showers and thunderstorms across much of the area through around 06Z. Some storms could cause gusts in excess of 50 kt with some heavy rainfall and hail. Otherwise, VFR ceilings will mostly continue after 06Z, with a possibility of a few rain showers through around 12Z. Westerly winds will increase and become gusty after 16Z, with the main threat for additional showers and thunderstorms remaining over Central Montana. -Coulston Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation weather and hazard information. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 56 83 48 81 / 60 20 10 0 CTB 53 78 44 75 / 40 10 0 0 HLN 59 83 52 83 / 30 30 0 0 BZN 53 82 48 82 / 20 10 10 0 WYS 45 72 38 75 / 40 20 10 0 DLN 50 78 45 79 / 30 10 10 0 HVR 58 85 50 83 / 60 20 20 0 LWT 55 81 49 78 / 20 20 20 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 22, 5:35 PM MDT, 54 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 22, 5:53 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 22, 6:00 PM MDT, 29 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Aug 22, 6:20 PM MDT, 9 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Aug 22, 6:27 PM MDT, 2 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
627 PM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023
MTZ312-230100-
Cascade County below 5000ft MT-
627 PM MDT Tue Aug 22 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central
Cascade County through 700 PM MDT...
At 626 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Great Falls, moving north at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and pea 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...
Great Falls, Black Eagle, Ulm, Malmstrom Afb, Sand Coulee, Tracy,
Vaughn and First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4735 11122 4734 11161 4760 11164 4764 11119
4757 11104 4739 11116
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 192DEG 25KT 4743 11126
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
JAFThe office that day
Everything else NWS Great Falls, MT issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 6:00 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Hill | 30 min |
| Aug 22, 6:27 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Cascade | 33 min |
| Aug 22, 6:31 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Lewis and Clark | 29 min |
| Aug 22, 6:31 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Glacier | 44 min |
| Aug 22, 6:56 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TFX | Glacier, Pondera | 34 min |
| Aug 22, 7:05 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Lewis and Clark | 25 min |
| Aug 22, 7:06 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Teton | 24 min |
| Aug 22, 7:26 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TFX | Glacier, Toole | 34 min |
| Aug 22, 7:33 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Cascade | 27 min |
| Aug 22, 7:51 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Toole | 24 min |
| Aug 22, 8:01 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Cascade | 29 min |
| Aug 22, 8:12 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TFX | Toole | 33 min |
| Aug 22, 8:42 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | TFX | Liberty | 33 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2023Every 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.