Dust storm knocks out power, causes damage across Central Valley
By Kate Nemarich,Tiffany Olin
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FRESNO COUNTY, California (KFSN) — Strong winds kicked up massive dust clouds across Central California on Monday, creating dangerous travel conditions for drivers and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service in Hanford issued a Dust Storm Warning for central Fresno County, which was allowed to expire around 3:30 pm.
Across Fresno, powerlines and trees were knocked down, leaving well over 12,000 residents around Fresno without power on the chilly afternoon.
In the southwest area, residents were already worried about old trees in their neighborhood before the winds ripped through.
“That’s why we took precautions around our house and made sure that things were locked down tight because we knew that this storm was coming so we had to be careful with everything going on,” said Elijah Henry, a resident.
Police and fire blocked off the intersection of Dorothy and Clara until PG&E crews could take care of drooping wires.
In central Fresno, apartment residents watched in horror as a tree split in two and crashed onto a car port, just missing children playing.
“It was loud, it was loud and scary. The kids got so scared,” said resident Karla Sanchez.
“My kids came in running, screaming and when I took a look outside I just see the tree fall and crush this whole thing behind me, all the cars.”
Limbs fell into the backyard of one of the units, crushing a bike and motorcycle.
As soon as the rain stopped, clean up was underway.
Ground crews worked to chop up the fallen tree and limbs, hoping to free the cars underneath.
ABC30 Insider Melissa Anaya captured photos of a huge cloud of dust creeping over Highway 198 near Visalia.
Dust quickly moved through the streets and skies as the wind picked up in the downtown area, sending trash scattering onto nearby sidewalks.
Visibility was reduced to about a quarter mile, even down to a couple hundred feet in some places, making it difficult to see cars and bicyclists on the busy downtown streets.
In another Fresno neighborhood near MLK Jr. Boulevard and Jensen Avenue, winds knocked a branch off a tree, sending it crashing into the roadway below.
The powerful winds have also knocked out power for more than 5,000 PG&E customers across Fresno and Madera counties.
You can stay up to date with the latest PG&E power outages by clicking here.
The storm also created dangerous driving conditions and left damage behind in Tulare and Kings counties.
In Woodlake, winds knocked down a 40-year-old willow tree in the backyard of home.
Traffic cameras along Highway 198 near Plaza Drive in the Goshen area captured drivers traveling through a hazy layer of dust.
Many drivers could be seen using their headlights in the daylight as the dust reduced visibility.
In Kings County, another driver reported having to pull over as dust made the roadway nearly impossible to see near Corcoran.
The storm also swept through Madera County, where it caused a 10-car crash involving a semi-truck on Highway 152 near Road 17.
The southbound Highway 99 connector to Highway 152 was closed due to the crash, but has since reopened.
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