NorthWestern Energy Crews Make Significant Progress Restoring Power After Montana Wind Storm

Butte, Mont. - Dec. 18, 2025 - NorthWestern Energy crews made significant progress repairing damage and restoring power for customers affected by outages caused by the strong wind storm that swept across Montana on Wednesday.

Dangerous weather conditions required crews to pause work overnight in some areas, including Elk Park north of Butte and Lincoln.

Crews were back in the field this morning and will continue working until all customers are restored.

By Thursday morning, service had been restored to more than 35,000 customers.

In Helena, crews worked through the night to restore power to the Helena Regional Airport.

In Superior, a generator was installed at the Town Pump convenience store to keep gasoline sales operating amid widespread outages along I-90 west of Missoula.

Call volume to NorthWestern Energy's Customer Service Center on Wednesday alone was equivalent to a typical full month, underscoring the impact of the storm across the state and the increase in customer calls that were being responded to by customer service representatives working around the clock.

For the safety of our customers and communities, powerlines are being manually patrolled before being reenergized, which does result in a longer restoration time for some outages.

We appreciate customers' patience during this challenging event.

Safety Reminder

As residents inspect their property after the storm, watch for downed power lines hidden under debris. Always assume any downed line is energized and dangerous-stay far away and report it immediately.

Check your meter mast and base

Heavy windstorms can damage the meter bases and masts on homes and buildings.

If your meter base is damaged, you must contact a licensed electrician to make repairs before service can be restored safely.

Even if damage is visible, never attempt to make repairs yourself. Service lines can carry up to 240 volts of electricity, which can cause severe injury or start a fire.

Repairs can only be made by a licensed electrician.

Prepare for Another Weather System

A new weather system is forecast for Montana this evening, bringing snow and more wind. Montanans should monitor forecasts and prepare in advance:

• Ensure all electronic and mobile devices are fully charged.
• Charge portable power banks and other backup devices.
• Prepare an emergency outage kit with essentials.

NorthWestern Energy is preparing with crews staffed, equipment and supplies ready to respond to any outages as quickly as possible, safely, to restore service.

For updates and safety information, visit https://www.northwesternenergy.com or follow NorthWestern Energy on social media.

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NorthWestern Energy - Delivering a Bright Future

NorthWestern Energy, provides essential energy infrastructure and valuable services that enrich lives and empower communities while serving as long-term partners to our customers and communities. We work to deliver safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions that create value for customers, communities, employees, and investors. We do this by providing low-cost and reliable service performed by highly-adaptable and skilled employees. We provide electricity and / or natural gas to approximately 842,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Yellowstone National Park. Our operations in Montana and Yellowstone National Park are conducted through our subsidiary, NW Corp, and our operations in South Dakota and Nebraska are conducted through our subsidiary, NWE Public Service. We have provided service in South Dakota and Nebraska since 1923 and in Montana since 2002.

Media Contacts:

Jo Dee Black

866-622-8081

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