Gusting winds cause damage, pick up semi, down power lines in Montana
By APTuesday, May 4, 2010
Winds knock over truck, down Montana power lines
HELENA, Mont. — Strong, gusting winds knocked down power lines, uprooted trees and even picked up a tractor-trailer rig and laid it on its side in Montana.
A high wind warning remained in effect for the eastern two-thirds of the state Tuesday.
No one was seriously injured in the big rig crash on U.S. 93 near Florence at about 5:15 p.m. Monday.
Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Rocky Bailey says a gust caught the 35-foot trailer and lifted it off the ground. The trailer landed on its side and slid about 180 feet.
The storm caused scattered power outages and uprooted trees, including one that fell into a brick house near Echo Lake.
The National Weather Service says peak winds included a 94 mph gust on Logan Pass in Glacier National Park.
