Santa Ana winds cause extensive damage
WILLIAMS: Good evening.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: It is one of the most unusual things nature does on this planet and it's going on right now across a vast area out West . The weather in this country, with few exceptions, travels from west to east. That's why it takes longer to fly New York to LA than it does LA to New York . But what's happening tonight is one of those exceptions and one of those rare weather events. The winds are blowing over land from east to west, and in some cases, they have reached 140 miles per hour over land. These are the Santa Ana winds and then some. A strong, intense, severe system we haven't seen the likes of since the 1990s , and it's causing big problems, risking lives and it's on the move. We begin tonight with NBC 's Miguel Almaguer in Pasadena . Miguel , good evening.
MIGUEL ALMAGUER reporting: Brian , good evening. These are some of the most powerful winds to ever hit this area. The city of Pasadena took a beating. As a matter of fact, folks that live here have been told to stay home if their home isn't damaged. And this wind-driven event isn't over yet. The notorious Santa Ana winds , with gusts at nearly 100 miles an hour, took down hundreds of trees and toppled power poles.
Unidentified Man #1: Use that water, it's been discharged.
Unidentified Man #2: Hey!
ALMAGUER: In Los Angeles , downed electrical lines sparked brush fires and fear even a small blaze could fuel a massive wind-driven fire. First responders dispatched to a new call every 12 seconds.
Unidentified Man #3: We were losing shingles off the roof. Rain gutter came flying off. It was nuts.
ALMAGUER: In Pasadena , the city declared an emergency. Schools were closed and roads and freeways that were open were backed up for miles. Across California , an estimated 340,000 lost power. Even LAX was temporarily in the dark, 23 planes rerouted due to powerful wind.
Unidentified Man #4: Look at that. Look at the spark here. Wow!
ALMAGUER: One forecaster called the conditions hellacious.
Unidentified Woman #1: It looked like a tornado had hit, literally hit. It was horrible.
ALMAGUER: The damages is in the millions. The cleanup will take days.
Unidentified Woman #2: We're here taking pictures and showing the kids because I don't know that they're going to see it again.
ALMAGUER: It was just in bad in Utah , where hurricane-force winds toppled big rigs and forced the closure of I-15 . In Farmington , nearly every home reported damage.
Unidentified Man #5: I had some of my Christmas displays up but Frosty the Snowman 's probably bobbing somewhere out in the Great Salt Lake next to the brine flies.
ALMAGUER: The forecast calls for this storm to pack a powerful punch into the weekend, from blizzard conditions in Colorado , to rare snow in the Nevada desert . The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for six Western states . They say the damage tonight could be as bad as it was in the last 24
hours. Brian: Miguel Almaguer starting us off
WILLIAMS:
