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Power Outages, School Closures for Two Flathead County School Districts

The Helena Flats and Somers Lakeside School Districts closed this morning due to weather-related power outages

By Denali Sagner
Heavy wet snow downs trees branches in Kalispell on Nov. 2, 2022. The snowstorm caused power outages around the Flathead Valley. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Helena Flats School and the Somers Lakeside School District on Wednesday morning cancelled school due to weather-related power outages.

Helena Flats told the Beacon that power had been on and off at the school throughout the morning, and that the district did not feel it could bring students in for a normal day of instruction. The school anticipates a normal school day tomorrow.

Lakeside Elementary School and Somers Middle School had begun a normal day of instruction when the schools lost power around 9 a.m., Flathead County Superintendent of Schools Jack Eggensperger said. Buses were sent out to bring students home from both schools late Wednesday morning. Whether or not the Somers Lakeside district can reopen tomorrow will depend on how quickly outages in the area are addressed by Flathead Electric.

As of late Wednesday morning, there were 81 total outages across Flathead County, leaving 6,031 customers without power. A winter weather advisory is currently in place for the areas around Flathead Lake, the Flathead and Mission Valleys and Polson, ending at 6 p.m. tonight. The National Weather Service forecasts snow up to two inches and cautions slippery road conditions.

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