High wind causes damage across west El Paso, with rain to follow
EL PASO, Texas -- Strong winds whipped through El Paso on Tuesday, creating damage in the different parts of the city.
According to the National Weather Service, winds were the strongest on El Paso's west side, reaching gusts of up to 40 to 50 miles per hour in some spots.
At Francisco Delgado park in west El Paso, the canopy of a playground was ripped off its supports, dangling by a thread.
Trash and debris littered streets as strong gusts of wind knocked over several trash cans in some neighborhoods. Traffic lights dangled along portions of Mesa Street.
One woman in west El Paso, Lanica Yu-Richardson, woke up to sound of strong winds and then watched her plants trying to survive the gusts through her backyard. (See video at the bottom of this article.)
“It was very loud. I couldn’t sleep. You could hear everything crashing because of the winds,” Yu-Richardson said.
El Paso was under a Wind Advisory until 8 p.m. Wednesday, although ABC-7 chief meteorologist 'Doppler' Dave Speelman forecast it would remain windy on the west side with easterly gusts around 40 mph until about 11 p.m.
"Wind chills make it feel like temps in the 30’s," he said.
While the wind will not a problem on Wednesday, he explained rain could become an issue.
With rain chances beginning late Tuesday night, and showers continuing off and on for Wednesday and Thursday, 'Doppler Dave' said the El Paso area "could see upwards of a half-inch or more the next couple of days in total rainfall."
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