HELENA — Storms that brought lightning, thunder and a little rain to the Helena area knocked out power to thousands Thursday night.
The thunder and lightning started in the Helena area right around 5:00 p.m. and ended up knocking out power to places as far away as Basin and Townsend just after 5:30 p.m.
Viewers reported outages From Birdseye Rd east to as far as the Causeway Chalet and Bar and as far south as Townsend and Jefferson City.
The outage snarled traffic on the evening commute as drivers navigated intersections without power to the traffic lights.
According to NorthWestern Energy, service crews are working to restore power as soon as possible.
Some viewers reported power returned within a few minutes while some estimates from NorthWestern say power may not be restored until 7:45 or 8:00 p.m.
NorthWestern has not listed an exact cause for the outage.
