Large Storm System Threatens Plains And Midwest With Severe Weather And Tornadoes
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The windy season arrived in the Borderland yesterday with a vengeance! 

The highest reported wind speed for the day was 104mph.  (San Augustin Pass, along Highway 70, just outside of Las Cruces.) That was the highest gustsustained winds in the area averaged 85mph. 

The winds brought low visibility, dust clouds, property damage and a bunch of accidents. My drive home from work sucked:

  • Entered I-10 East at Executive and it's a parking lot.
  • Exited at UTEP, worked my way to Montana and then US-54 North. So far, so good right?
  • Nope. Traffic at a crawl where the highways merge due to high winds, low visibility and general driver stupidity.
  • Next, traffic stopped near Hondo Pass where a Semi had been blown into ... yes, blown into ... an overhead bridge support. (People invented their own exits here! Being in the far left lane though, I couldn't join them.)
  • Exited at Kenworthy, then on to Martin Luther King jr Blvd and smooth sailing, right??
  • Noooo...Semi truck blown over stopping traffic. Having a 4x4, I could pull off the pavement, turn around and go back. Everyone else was stuck.
  • Next, I saw a car hit a dog that was almost invisible in the dust. (The driver stopped to help.)
  • At McCombs now and behind a Semi being blown all over the road. He pulled over but, was tilted sharply on the shoulder and taking the wind full force.

Not sure if he stayed upright or not, I passed him and went looking for a beer!

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