Feb. 2 – On this day in history in 1989 much of Montana was struggling to survive a dozen or more days when the temperature never got above zero during the day and went as low as – 40 degrees on several occasions. In Helena a train car smashed into a transformer during one of the coldest days and caused a blackout that lasted for several hours and put the lives of hundreds at risk in their frigid homes. The cold spell caused several deaths, froze pipes in homes, and had people paying high prices for gas generators to provide power for their homes.