Strong wind gusts, some between 40 and 50 miles per hour, knocked down trees and power lines all over the Valley. Thousands of PG&E customers lost power, including people living in Selma.
Lily Sanchez said, "Dirt storm all over. It was just covered with dirt. You know, you couldn't see anything."
Lily Sanchez had to take a detour to get to her job at Indianola Elementary School. Crews shut down nearby Dinuba Avenue for three hours, where this tree fell on top of some power lines. The same thing happened in West Central Fresno. A tree, which used to stand on the McKinley Elementary School campus became uprooted and took power lines down with it. Peter Reynaga was watching TV when he heard a loud noise.
Peter Reynaga said, "I came outside, I heard a cracking noise. Looked, and as you can see, the tree fell over and the power went out."
Windy conditions are also to blame for helping fuel a house fire in Madera. The fire started near the roof and spread quickly before firefighters could get inside. The home was destroyed, as well as a travel trailer. Chief Rhonda Myers said, "It does pose a little bit of problem with the fact the wind, you know, the fire moves faster around the house. It doesn't allow us enough time to get in there."
The howling weather also had farmers keeping a close eye on their crops Tuesday. And while the wind isn't going to last, their next worry: the freezing temperatures expected overnight.
Andrew Kazarian said, "That actually is a much bigger concern than the wind. This is the time of year where a freeze could really hurt a farmer."
The wind also prompted the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to issue a health caution today for all 8 Valley counties. They warn: as long as this wind sticks around, avoid the outdoors because of all the dust blowing around.
