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Power restoration "looks bleak tonight" according to Flathead Electric Co-op

Trees are falling too quickly to keep up with repairs
Trees fell on a Woods Bay home around 7:00 PM (courtesy: Joleen Beaubien)
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MISSOULA — An update from the Flathead Electric Cooperative, released at 9:51 Friday night, says, "the outage situation looks bleak tonight."

As of the Friday night update, over 3,000 costumers were without power around the Flathead area.

High wind is knocking trees onto power lines faster than crews are able to remove them.

According to MDT- Kalispell Division, "Due to high winds and falling trees MT-35 is closed and unpassable from MP 3 to the JCT of 209."

Gusts in the Flathead area have continued to clock in around 40-45 MPH.

"We expect some areas may be out well into Saturday and possibly even Sunday. Unfortunately, there's so much damage and the weather is such that we don't have more specific updates right now," says FEC.

With temperatures plummeting into the single digits and teens, those without power will be in for a chilly night. A secondary source of heat is highly recommended with these impending frigid temperatures.

The FEC assures customers they are doing everything in their power to restore electricity and keep the public informed on these ongoing restorations.

Click here for the latest FEC updates.