The Missoula area, the Bitterroot Valley, and other areas of West Central Montana were slammed by severe thunderstorms Wednesday evening, downing lines and trees and starting fires.

The National Weather Service had been tracking the storm for several hours as the cells began moving across Idaho.

Around 8:30 pm NWS issued a warning of severe thunderstorms moving into the Northern Bitterroot and Missoula Valley, and when the weather came it hit hard, with pounding winds, lots of lightning, and heavy rain.

One of the strongest windstorms in several years

Forecasters are still analyzing data, but winds appeared to be gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour. At one point, NWS reported a gust hitting 81 miles per hour at the forecast center at the Missoula Montana Airport.

Additionally, forecasters tell us they reported a gusting hitting 120 miles per hour at the top of Mount Sentinel.

The winds ripped through Lolo and Miller Creek, knocking down trees and power lines. Then the storm blasted across Missoula and moved into East Missoula, kicking up a major dust storm and debris.

Lightning strikes were expected to total several hundred in the Missoula area.

Damage everywhere

Missoula area fire and police crews were kept busy responding to a rapid-fire succession of reports of downed power lines and trees, with multiple wildfire starts. At one point, firefighters were called out to stop a structure fire in East Missoula that was threatening other homes.

Missoula Electric Coop was reporting several hundred people without power from Lolo to Missoula to Superior and in Seeley Lake.

Northwestern Energy was also reporting several thousand customers without power in the Missoula and Bitterroot service areas.

Storm moved NE

The storm was continuing to move northeast toward the Upper Blackfoot, the Front, and Great Falls area before 10 pm.

An AIR QUALITY ALERT continues for the Hi-Line and eastern Montana.

A HEAT ADVISORY continues for north-central Montana and the Helena Valley through 9 PM Thursday.

A HEAT ADVISORY continues for the Flathead/Mission Valleys, West Glacier, Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys and the Potomac/Seeley Lake region through 12 AM tonight.

A HEAT ADVISORY continues for the Lower Clark Fork and Kootenai/Cabinet Regions of Western Montana through 12 AM tonight.

An EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING continues for eastern and south-central Montana from 9 PM Thursday.

A RED FLAG WARNING continues for the East Glacier region through 9 PM Thursday.

A RED FLAG WARNING continues for southwest Montana through 9 PM tonight.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH continues for central Montana through midnight Thursday.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Heat, fire, and air quality alerts are in effect for just about every Montana county this morning ahead of what should be a record breaking heatwave. Temperatures will start to decrease tomorrow and into the weekend.

High temperatures, low relative humidity, and strong west winds once again increase the fire danger in the mountains of Montana today. There is also a chance of seeing dry thunderstorms pop over the Idaho/Montana border and move northeastward throughout the afternoon. Lighting strikes from this type of storm can spark wildfires. Not all the storms will be dry.

Record daily high temperatures are possible today, especially in eastern Montana where 110 degree heat is expected. Helena and Great Falls will be at or above the triple digits today as well.

The Last Chance Stampede starts today. It will be very hot today and tomorrow during afternoon events. Be sure to drink plenty of water and take advantage of shaded areas.

Relief from extreme conditions is on the way. A cold front will advance through the state on Thursday and Friday. Behind it will be cooler air dropping temperatures back down to near average for the start of the weekend.

MTN

The beginning of next week will be about the same has the weekend, with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Extreme heat will return by the end of next workweek.

Helena Temperature Records Today:
High: 100 (1929)
Low: 40 (1918)
AVG: 89/57

Great Falls Temperature Records Today:
High: 102 (1929)
Low: 36 (1918)
AVG: 87/53

Stay safe in the heat!
Joey Biancone
Meteorologist

Facebook: Meteorologist Joey Biancone
Instagram: joeybianconewx
Email: joey.biancone@ktvh.com

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT – Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 23rd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of 0.142 per share by the bank on Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Eagle Bancorp Montana’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14.

Eagle Bancorp Montana has raised its dividend by an average of 13.0% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 13 consecutive years. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a payout ratio of 33.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Eagle Bancorp Montana to earn $1.64 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.56 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.1%.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ EBMT opened at $14.15 on Wednesday. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 52-week low of $11.26 and a 52-week high of $17.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $113.48 million, a P/E ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $13.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.29.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $19.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.50 million. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a net margin of 7.39% and a return on equity of 5.29%. Analysts expect that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EBMT shares. Hovde Group started coverage on Eagle Bancorp Montana in a research note on Friday, July 5th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $13.50 target price for the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in a report on Sunday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

View Our Latest Report on EBMT

Insider Transactions at Eagle Bancorp Montana

In other Eagle Bancorp Montana news, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 2,954 shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.21, for a total transaction of $39,022.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 71,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $939,746.19. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Eagle Bancorp Montana news, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.98, for a total value of $129,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 156,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,386.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 2,954 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.21, for a total transaction of $39,022.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 71,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $939,746.19. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,405 shares of company stock worth $187,859 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services to small businesses and individuals in Montana. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts.

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