Texas Sees High-Wind Damage From 'Bomb Cyclone' Storm System
(CBSDFW.COM/CBS NEWS) - The same storm system that has ravaged Colorado and Nebraska with blizzard conditions has also caused damage in Texas with powerful winds across the state.
North Texans saw widespread damage to homes, business and even planes early Wednesday morning as severe storms that were part of the dubbed "bomb cyclone" moved through the area.
Some of the most prominent damage in North Texas included an overturned mobile home in Johnson County, a large tree that fell onto a house in Dallas and multiple overturned and damaged planes at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport.
The strong winds were also seen in other parts of Texas. Blake Brown captured video of wind gusts blowing over an 18-wheeler along a highway in Amarillo. Wind speeds up to 75 miles per hour were reported in that area. In the same video, a man could be seen struggling to pick up roof panels that blew onto the road.
The major winter storm is blasting parts of the country's midsection. Powerful winds, combined with snow, are creating blizzard conditions and put tens of thousands are without power in the region. In Colorado, the governor declared a state of emergency.
This storm hit Denver with a rare intensity, including hurricane-force winds. Thousands of people are stranded at the city's airport Thursday. The Denver Airport closed all of its runways for only the fourth time ever.
White-out conditions made Colorado roads nearly impossible to navigate. Vehicles sat parked on Interstate 76 while powerful winds pushed around giant trucks like toys. Officials shut down major interstates, and implored drivers to stay off the road. Police responded to more than 125 crashes on Wednesday in Denver alone.
Farther north, drivers struggled to dig out of deep snowdrifts in Nebraska and overnight, one state trooper got stuck as she tried to rescue a stranded driver. The storm dumped as much as two feet of snow in parts of the Rockies.
Back in Denver, airport employees passed out blankets to stranded passengers last night. By day's end, more than 1,300 flights were cancelled.
Power outages are another concern. At one point, more than 300,000 people were without power. More than 100,000 are still in the dark, in the bitter cold.
