Wildfire in Montana, July 19 to 26, 2017

Name: Wildfire in Montana, July 19 to 26, 2017
Start: 2017-07-19T12:15
End: 2017-07-26T00:00
Location: Montana

July 19 to 26, 2017 · NWS GGW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Record drought conditions, along with human activity and dry lightning, ignited a handful of wildfires throughout the month of July, one of which was the Crying Fire.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.

Record drought conditions, along with human activity and dry lightning, ignited a handful of wildfires throughout the month of July, one of which was the Crying Fire.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jul 19, 9:50 AM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 9:50 AM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
1050 AM MDT Wed Jul 19 2017

.SHORT TERM...for northeast Montana...today through Fri...
Removed remaining precipitation and updated sky grids.
SCT

Previous update -
The strong thunderstorms have departed the area east. There are
still lingering isolated showers with some thunder, but no strong
cells. Adjusted pop/wx grids to match observations.

Templer

Previous discussion -
Surface low pressure over south central Montana with two areas of
thunderstorms impacting northeast Montana this morning. So far
highest wind gusts on the observations near the storms are from 30
to 40 mph. Storms will spread east across the region through the
morning and are expected to move into North Dakota by noon.

Sunny afternoon expected with warming temperatures as upper ridge
builds over the state. Shortwave trof off the BC coast will swing
east on Thursday to knock down the ridge and push a cold front
through the state. Compressional heating ahead of the front will
bring temperatures into the 90s on Thursday. Low level
southeasterly winds will bring some increased moisture into the
eastern zones to interact with the frontal boundary, and could
produce strong to severe thunderstorms in the afternoon and
evening. Ebert

.LONG TERM...Fri night through Wed...
A departing shortwave and surface cold front Thursday night will
bring seasonable temperatures to the forecast area Friday into the
weekend with highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s to low 60s in
general.

The latest 00z model solutions have an upper ridge once again
building across the region late in the weekend and into the first
half of next week, with the ridge axis parked over western North
and South Dakota. This will bring warm upper level southwest flow
to eastern Montana with highs returning to the 90s. In addition,
embedded shortwaves in the flow may locally provide forcing for
ascent and thus produce isolated thunderstorms at times. Models
differ on track and timing of these weak embedded impulses at
large time scales, though consensus model blends do create some
patchy slight chance pops across the area near the end of the
extended period. Maliawco

&&

.AVIATION...
Expect VFR conditions today.

A frontal boundary brought thunderstorms storms through the area
this morning, have moved east out of the area. High pressure
returns to the region for afternoon clearing.

Wind: becomes northwesterly today at around 10kt.

Templer

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Possible Critical fire weather conditions Friday.

An energetic short-wave disturbance will move across southern
Alberta and Saskatchewan Friday. This wave will generate strong,
dry westerly winds of possibly 20-30mph in the afternoon. This,
along with continued low relative humidities, will could lead to
critical fire weather conditions during Friday afternoon and early
evening.

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 19, 6:17 AM MST, 5 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
717 AM MDT WED JUL 19 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0635 AM     TSTM WND GST     4 SE LINDSAY            47.18N 105.11W
07/19/2017  M58 MPH          DAWSON             MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MEASURED 58MPH WIND. NICKEL SIZE HAIL

&&

RMORGAN

Local storm report, Jul 19, 6:18 AM MST, 5 hours 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
718 AM MDT WED JUL 19 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0635 AM     HEAVY RAIN       4 SE LINDSAY            47.18N 105.11W
07/19/2017  M0.70 INCH       DAWSON             MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVEN TENTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN

&&

RMORGAN

Local storm report, Jul 19, 6:19 AM MST, 5 hours 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
719 AM MDT WED JUL 19 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0620 AM     HAIL             5 SW LINDSAY            47.17N 105.24W
07/19/2017  E0.88 INCH       DAWSON             MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL

&&

RMORGAN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Petroleum

When: July 19, 12:15 PM MST to July 26, 12:00 AM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Located in Petroleum County west of the Musselshell River and about 50 miles north of Winnett, Montana, the Crying Fire was reported mid-day July 19th and burned in grass, sage and timber on BLM, Private, State and Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge lands. The fire was lightning caused. Crews responded from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Petroleum County. No accidents or injuries occurred, although two outbuildings were lost. The fire burned 7,925 acres.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, July 2017

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 712826.