Violent Windstorm Leaves 31,000 Without Power Across Northwest Montana
Gusts of 70 mph swept through northwest Montana Wednesday morning causing destruction that uprooted trees and closed roads and prompted officials to issue emergency travel warnings
By Maggie Dresser
More than 31,000 Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) members across northwest Montana lost power after violent winds and 70 mph valley gusts out of the west-southwest have wreaked havoc, knocking over trees and semi-trucks, closing roads and destroying the towering “Bigfork Cross” landmark situated on MT Highway 82.
In the south valley, Bigfork, Lakeside and Somers are affected by a downed transmission line serviced by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as crews work to re-energize the main lines, according to FEC spokesperson Courtney Stone.
Severe weather has caused destruction across the Northern Rockies with a high concentration of damage along U.S. Highway 2 corridor stretching from Libby to Kalispell and to the east through John F. Stevens Canyon stretching to the Continental Divide
Hungry Horse at 9:11 a.m. clocked 75 mph wind gusts while Glacier Park International Airport experienced a 67 mph gust at 9 a.m, according to weather data. On Aeneas Ridge in the Swan Range, a 96 mph gust was recorded while Whitefish Mountain Resort clocked 61 mph.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) officials announced U.S. Highway 93 south near Somers closed this morning after a semi-truck tipped over across the road while a slew of other transportation corridors are shut down due to downed trees, debris and dangerous travel conditions.
Emergency responders are actively working to clear roadways and residents should expect “significant” delays, officials said.
Despite the damage, Stone said the winds have impacted larger equipment compared to individual feeders, which is less labor-intensive for crews to repair. By comparison, there were more than 500 individual outages following a 2020 windstorm.
“We have 126 total outages that crews have to visually inspect and that is not nearly as many as we had as the terrible tree event in 2020,” Stone said. “Kalispell called that tree-mageddon.”
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office this morning issued an emergency travel alert due to power outages, discouraging residents from traveling unless “absolutely needed,” adding to the state of emergency this region is already experiencing due to widespread flooding.
A strong cold front is shifting east and is expected to sweep across the region Wednesday with a rapid transition from rain to snow accompanied by strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow accumulation is forecast to favor northwest Montana with up to a foot of snow on Marias Pass along the Continental Divide by tonight while a winter storm warning remains in effect for Glacier National Park.
Temperatures are expected to drop through Thursday, with snow levels rising again on Friday afternoon.
Emergency personnel remind the public that it is not necessary to call 911 to report a downed tree unless there is an immediate threat to life and to reserve calls to dispatch for true emergencies.
Residents are also reminded to treat all downed power lines as live and extremely dangerous.