Wind whips through valley, topple trees and power lines

With winds gusts reaching nearly 50 miles per hour around the area Wednesday, Jan. 13, downed trees caused widespread power outages, blocked roads and damaged property. While emergency personnel responded to several calls throughout the day, Missoula Electric Cooperative (MEC) crews worked into the weekend restoring power and community members helped neighbors cut out roads, driveways and remove trees from buildings and vehicles.

The Seeley Lake Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) located at the Seeley Lake Airport reported gusts hitting 43 mph by 1 p.m. and staying above 25 mph until 7 p....