Power outages continued to affect about 9,000 Flathead Electric Cooperative customers Friday morning as crews worked for a third consecutive day to restore service across Northwest Montana.

Another round of high winds wasn’t helping crews, and additional outages popped up across the co-op’s service area overnight.

The main lines feeding West Glacier and the Canyon area were down as of 5:30 a.m., and crews were dispatched to begin restoration work. All other co-op line crews were continuing efforts across the Flathead Valley.

Outages lingered in Libby for about 2,400 customers. About 1,500 were without power in the Coram and West Glacier area, more than 500 were affected in Whitefish, and about 500 customers in Lakeside were still without power.

At the outage's peak, about 30,000 customers were without power following Monday's severe windstorm.

A wind advisory was issued through 11 a.m. Friday for the Flathead and Mission valleys and the Kootenai and Cabinet region. A chance of snow returns to the forecast Friday night.

“With colder temperatures and sustained winds expected to continue today, restoration efforts remain challenging,” the co-op stated in a media release Friday morning. “Trees weakened by the previous storm continue to fall into power lines, resulting in new outages and slowing restoration progress.”

Because of the scale of the event, estimated restoration times were not available.

“We recognize this is a difficult and frustrating time for many of our members — some of whom are now entering a third day without power,” the release continued. “We sincerely appreciate the patience, understanding and messages of support we continue to receive from our community. Please know that all hands are on deck, and our crews are working tirelessly, around the clock, to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We are incredibly grateful for their dedication and hard work under demanding conditions.”

Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse members, reserve deputies and search and rescue crews were patrolling the county to assess damage and check on residents who have been without power for extended periods. People were asked to check on neighbors who may need assistance.

The American Red Cross planned to set up a shelter at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, while the Salvation Army in Kalispell was serving free lunch to those in need.