More winds cause hazardous conditions

“When I woke up, I thought it was raining outside because it was, like, bringing down all the trees and stuff,” said Lena Mizrahi, who is visiting the Coachella Valley with her family.

The valley got a windy wake up call early Sunday morning.

“It’s wind everywhere, dust everywhere and they’re closing the streets already,” said resident Jazmin Herrera.

On the roads, visibility was near zero.

“Your car shakes a lot to the sides, and then sometimes you have to stop because you can’t see anything in front of you,” Desert Hot Springs resident Alondra Cervantes said.

By noon the brownout conditions were so bad, Palm Springs Police closed down both Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino at the wash. News Channel 3’s crew was among the last cars to drive down Gene Autry during the thick of the storm.

“It’s scary, you can’t really see much. It’s really dangerous for a lot of people, you’ve got to slow down,” Herrera said.

As communities continue to clean up from this week’s damage, locals just hope the persistent dust swells let up soon.

“It happens often but it’s been worse these last few weeks,” Cervantes said.