Fierce winds wreak havoc in western US
>> powerful winds are hammering the west again but nothing like the gusts felt on thursday. those winds caused widespread damage, especially in california. nbc's miguel almaguer is in pasadena for us this morning. good morning to you.
>> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. this area was pounded by winds for days. take a look at a this 60-year-old tree. neighbors say it was snapped in seconds and toppled over. much of the area is without power while they assess the damage. in los angeles county , a state of emergency . whipping winds uprooted hundreds of trees, brought down power lines and damaged countless homes. across pasadena , houses are split in two. thursday, 340,000 in southern california lost power. some neighborhoods are still in the dark.
>> it's been a a disaster. lights are still off. everything in the refrigerator is kind of dead.
>> reporter: these santa ana winds , the most powerful in a decade. gusts clocked at nearly 100 miles an hour. brush fires sparked by transformers threatened to become massive wind-driven blazes. in l.a., first responders were dispatched to a new call every 12 seconds. schools are closed today for the second day. the damage is in the millions. the cleanup will take weeks.
>> it was frightening. the noise was unbelievable. i have lived here 25 years. this is the worst it's been.
>> reporter: california isn't the only state hammered by wicked weather. in utah, hurricane-strength winds toppled big rigs and shut down i-15. cars pelted by debris. windshields smashed by flying rocks.
>> i didn't e know what to think. the explosion of the window was so loud i couldn't hear for a second. it blew up by my ear.
>> reporter: in steam boat springs, colorado, wind speeds topped 120 miles an hour. roofs peeled back. this ski town shut down. back in los angeles , sunset boulevard a was littered with two of southern california 's palm trees . nearby in beverly hills , actor eric dane 's home damaged by trees.
>> any time you have 82 miles per hour winds, it's a significant event. it's almost like the atmosphere took a ball of cold air and dumped it over southern california all a at once.
>> reporter: the forecast calls for the wild western winds to calm today, but the cleanup is far from over. most cities hope to have these trees cleared out of roads in the next day. on private property it could take weeks. the forecast calls for another round of wind this weekend. it's not supposed to be nearly as strong. savannah?
>> miguel almaguer in pasadena , thank
