High-speed winds blew through northwest Montana Wednesday morning, creating dangerous driving conditions and leaving thousands without power.  

*At 2 p.m., Whitefish Fire Department was responding to 23 emergencies.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office issued a shelter in place until noon. The high wind warning continues until 5 p.m., with gusts up to 65 mph expected. 

About 30,000 Flathead Electric Co-op customers remain without power. In Whitefish, about 2,000 customers north of the viaduct, and smaller neighborhoods near Haskill Basin, east near Voerman Road, and west of Whitefish, lost power at about 8:30 a.m. 

Whitefish Mountain Resort is open but only chairs 6 and 3 are spinning.

Whitefish schools are operating as normal.  

Multiple roads throughout Flathead Valley are closed due to downed trees, debris, and dangerous travel conditions. U.S. Highway 93 South near Somers is closed after a semi-truck was blown across the roadway.

In Whitefish’s Depot Park, a 90-foot-tall Engelmann spruce tree fell. The spruce, covered in Christmas lights, was at least 90 years old and in good health, city of Whitefish arborists reported.  

To help ensure emergency resources remain available for critical incidents, people should reserve 911 calls for true emergencies, the Flathead County Sheriff's Department said in a release. 

Downed powerlines should be reported to power companies. If sparking, call 911 immediately.  

Downed trees that are in boulevards or paths should be reported to the Whitefish online problem reporter.

“It’s critical that members do not attempt to take matters into their own hands and perform work around power lines of any size," said Jason Williams, Co-op chief operating officer, in a Co-op news release. "Even our linemen can’t tell whether a line is energized just by looking at it. Although we greatly appreciate the many offers of help we’ve received, we ask everyone to stay patient and stay away from power lines, no matter what. When crews do arrive to work on damaged equipment, please give them the space they need to safely work.

“During major storms we typically request assistance from neighboring utilities, but because this wind event affected much of the western U.S., many crews are responding to similar impacts in their own service areas, which limits the availability of additional help,” Williams continued.

Flathead Electric expects power to be restored in some areas later tonight, while other members may remain without service through the night and possibly into Friday. As strong winds continue, additional outages are possible. 

Many of the outages are being caused by trees falling from well outside the Co-op’s rights-of-way, particularly trees weakened by wind and saturated soils from the recent atmospheric river. Once power is fully restored, final system repairs from an event of this magnitude are expected to take several weeks.

“Members should be aware that our outage map is not reflecting outage causes or estimated times of restoration because the damage is so widespread and that information is largely unknown at this time," a Co-op news release states. "If we are able to provide estimated times of restoration for specific areas of the Flathead Valley and for Libby, we will post that information on our website and on our Facebook page. We will continue our communication efforts into the night and share relevant information as it is available.”

With the wind comes a cold front. Rain is expected to transition to snow and a winter weather warning is in place for Glacier Park. Total snow accumulations of 3 and 8 inches are expected at Marias Pass. Winds could gust well over 70 mph in higher elevations and east of the divide.

*Updated from four emergencies and 14 incidents at noon. 

    A nearly 100-year-old Engelmann spruce fell in Depot Park Wednesday morning. (City of Whitefish Parks Department photo)
  

    Two large trees were uprooted at the Whitefish Cemetery Wednesday morning. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Two large trees were uprooted at the Whitefish Cemetery Wednesday morning. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Two large trees were uprooted at the Whitefish Cemetery Wednesday morning. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)