Published 6 months ago • loading... • Updated 6 months ago
'Damaging winds' Wednesday across large swath of Montana, National Weather Service warns
Wind gusts of 60-100 mph are causing widespread power outages affecting over 11,000 customers across western and central Montana, officials reported.
A statewide high-wind warning issued by the National Weather Service on Wednesday, December 17, covers nearly all Montana with expected damaging gusts.
The Billings-based National Weather Service explained that a strong cold front and Pacific moisture from atmospheric rivers will force mixing, producing widespread damaging winds and precipitation.
Peak gusts could reach 80-100 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front, with central Montana plains facing 50-60 mph gusts and recent 101-mph and nearly 100-mph events in Glacier County and Glacier National Park.
Utilities reported widespread outages and warned members that power outages affected several thousand customers in western Montana, including Thompson Falls, Superior and Livingston, and Northern Lights Electric Cooperative said members should prepare for extended outages.
Officials warn the event could cause downed trees and infrastructure damage, as high winds in northwest Montana increase outage risks, according to NWS meteorologists.