Storm decimates urban forest, damages homes, cuts power in Missoula
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) A powerful storm raked Missoula and outlying areas late Wednesday night, downing trees and knocking out power across large areas of the city.
The National Weather Service in Missoula several days ago cautioned that storms would be possible on Wednesday. That prediction came true in big way just before 10 p.m.
Days of triple-digit temperatures and an incoming front set the stage for Wednesday night's thunderstorm. NOAA recorded wind speeds of 109 miles per hour atop Mount Sentinel.
In the valley, stiff and gusting winds tore down trees, damaged homes and cut power to thousands of residents. Some neighborhoods were littered with storm debris. Without power, signals went dark and traffic ground to a near halt on busy roadways.
Many portions of the city remained without power on Thursday afternoon and traffic lights remained out of service, replaced by police officers at busy intersections. City trucks scrambled to clear roads and the city and county established several dump locations for storm debris.
“Wind speeds of 81 mph were recorded at (Missoula) airport, where our office is located,” weather officials said. “We've received numerous reports of downed powerlines, downed trees, power outages, and damage to homes and property.”
Flathead County assisted Missoula County in handling a flood of phone calls regarding fires and damage. The damage also forced many Missoula County offices to close on Thursday, including the sheriff's department.
“Due to power outages and multiple safety hazards across the county including downed trees, debris in roadways, and downed power lines, our administrative offices … will be closed,” the sheriff's office stated.
The county added, "We are hearing misinformation that 9-1-1 Center was down last night - this is not true. It did exceed capacity at times, with the overflow going to Flathead County (this is by design to accommodate high call volumes)," the county stated Thursday afternoon. "9-1-1 is still experiencing high call volume. People should only call 9-1-1 in the case of a true emergency, not to report power outages, downed trees, etc."
Larchmont Golf Course lost many legacy trees and will remain closed until it's "able to get the course playable." The city closed its aquatic centers and grocery stores were forced to discard perishable deli items. Mountain Line also suspended or detoured several bus routes to avoid downed trees and power lines.
County officials said their offices would also be closed on Thursday “due to power outages and other issues in wake of last night's storm.”
Due to the recent storm, Missoula County is experiencing multiple safety hazards, including downed trees, debris in roadways, and downed power lines. We urge everyone to exercise caution while driving, biking, and walking. We request essential travel only due to the multiple safety hazards. Reducing traffic volume on the roadways will allow power crews to address these issues more efficiently and clear the roadways.
Be on the lookout for downed trees and debris on roadways and avoid any areas that appear unsafe. Stay clear of downed power lines and report any sightings to the authorities immediately. Many areas are experiencing power outages, and our crews, along with Northwestern Energy and the Missoula City Streets Department, are working diligently to restore services as quickly as possible.
Some streetlights in town are not functioning due to power outages. Treat intersections with non-working signals as four-way stops, approach intersections with flashing yellow lights slowly and with caution and treat intersections with flashing red lights as stop signs, proceeding with caution after stopping.
We want to reassure the public that although we are experiencing some computer issues, our officers are out in the field responding to calls for service as normal, and emergency services (law enforcement) are operating as usual.
- Missoula County