Residents on the West Coast are expecting another day of fierce hurricane-force winds after powerful gusts tore up homes and trees and knocked out power lines across California. Hundreds of thousands of customers across the Los Angeles area are still without power and many schools are already closed for Friday, as more strong winds are expected.

In Pasadena, which was one of the hardest hit areas, the violent "Santa Ana" winds knocked over a gas station and littered the city with broken trees and light posts. Some residents were forced into shelters after roofs were torn apart and a broken water pipe flooded an apartment complex. A mall in Glendale saw its 100-foot Christmas tree snapped in half and dozens of communities near the San Gabriel Mountains expect it will be several days before all the roads are cleared and power is restored.

While Southern California was hardest hit, damage from the windstorms was seen as far north as Sacramento and as far inland as Utah and Colorado. A ski resort in Steamboat Springs reportedly had a wind gust of 123-miles an hour that temporary shut down its lifts. The windy conditions are could reach all the way to the Midwest by the weekend.

The heavy winds are expected to last through the weekend in California, though they are expected to calm down considerably after Friday. Despite the major damage, no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dbennett at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Dashiell Bennett