Gianforte Declares Wind Disaster

Gov. Greg Gianforte issued an executive order Dec. 18 declaring a wind disaster in Montana.

Communities throughout the state experienced a severe high-wind event on Wednesday, with winds near 65 miles per hour and gusts approaching 100 miles per hour.

Glasgow recorded a record high wind gust for December of 78 miles per hour and received 4.4 inches of snow as the result of the blizzard.

Ravalli, Wheatland, Mineral and Flathead counties as well as the cities of Hamilton and Harlowton have enacted emergency declarations and city, county, state, and tribal personnel are working to remove debris, the governor said in a press release.

The order authorizes the use of state resources, including funding, to address needs arising from an extreme wind event across the state this week.

NorthWestern Energy crews and contractors were working to restore service to more than 35,000 customers who experienced a power outage Dec. 17, the utility said in a press release Dec. 18.