Wind Gusts Rip Through The Coachella Valley

COACHELLA VALLEY – The wind may not move mountains, but it certainly moved everything else Tuesday.

A chain link fence in Palm Desert toppled over like dominoes. The sand bags obviously were useless.

In Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open, wind was a concern as the men’s qualifying rounds were set to begin at 10:00 a.m.

“Iwas watching some of the practices going on here,” says spectator Stan Wensley, fromCalgary, Alberta, “andI noticed that some of them were having trouble especially against the wind.”

Stan says he isnot a tennis player, but his wife Barbara is certainly. Barbara does notthink the wind will be problem on the courts, but she knows too well what it’s like to play against the gusts.

“I’ve missed many a ball!” she says.

As Barbara predicted,the games went on as scheduled. It is safe to assume spectators had a better time on the open courts than in the open desert.