LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tuesday's sudden and severe windstorm that reached speeds up to 70 miles per hour in some areas rocked the Las Vegas Valley, causing significant damage throughout. Channel 13 went to different parts of the valley to report on cleanup efforts.
Spring Valley
Cleanup efforts continue after Tuesday's powerful windstorm knocked down trees and power poles across the valley, leaving thousands without electricity.
The storm caused significant property damage when multiple trees were uprooted, crashing into homes and vehicles.
VIDEO: Abel Garcia talks to a local in Spring Valley about windstorm damage and recovery
"I hear this pop. And I look and one of my trees is laying on the ground," said Tony Kretler, whose property was damaged in the storm.
The fallen trees caused extensive damage to Kretler's roof and a nearby car.
The damage was substantial, with multiple structures affected.
When asked about the size of the trees that fell, Kretler explained, "Two complete trees. One, like I said, one, they estimated 60 ft and the other said probably about 50 ft."
Edgar Larios, a certified tree safety professional, explained why trees in Southern Nevada are particularly vulnerable to strong winds.
"It is kind of like a combination of a couple of things, but the most important thing is the soil is pretty dry. When you get a little bit of wind, it doesn't have to be as strong. Last night was like what, 60-mile-an-hour probably wind, and it hit the tree the right way and it gets knocked over," Larios said.
Kretler, who has lived in his neighborhood since 1998, said he's never experienced anything like this before.
"No, not in my neighborhood," Kretler said.
East Las Vegas
Thousands remain without electricity after Tuesday's windstorm knocked down dozens of power poles along a mile-long stretch of Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas.
The damage extends from Topaz to Sandhill, where a fallen tree triggered a domino effect that brought down 32 power poles and lines.
WATCH | Alyssa Bethencourt reports on cleanup efforts on Tropicana Avenue
"I saw everything flying passed my room and it was like.. what was that? What's going on? So I had to go to the office to find out.. oh we're having. A storm, ahh!" said a resident of the Montara Meadows Senior Apartments, one of many buildings that lost power.
The outage has particularly affected senior residents in the area, though many remain in good spirits despite the inconvenience.
"Anytime we have a storm.. a lot of times there's major damage. Vegas is old. The infrastructure is old. I mean, you know. But I wouldn't move! I love it here," said another Montara Meadows resident.
NV Energy officials explained that the wooden utility poles are designed to withstand vertical and horizontal pressure,would but not additional weight at an angle. When the tree fell, it caused the first pole to lean and then snap, creating a chain reaction.
"It only takes a minute, right? I mean, it's just like falling off a bike. It's quick, right? So when something falls over, it happens now and then it's troubleshooting, isolating, and then the restoration process starts," said the Director of Operations with NV Energy.
Crews are working to restore power, with NV Energy expecting service to resume by Friday morning, though they hope to complete repairs sooner.
This damage site at Tropicana and McLeod is one of several areas experiencing significant destruction from the storm, which also toppled 60-foot trees onto homes and vehicles in other parts of Southern Nevada.
Henderson
Strong winds reaching 64 mph in the south valley caused significant damage to aircraft at Henderson Airport on Tuesday, flipping some planes and damaging others that were secured to the ground.
The severe weather caught many off guard, triggering emergency alerts that sent aircraft owners and airport staff rushing to check on their planes.
WATCH: Joe Moeller talks to an aviation attorney and flight instructor on damage to planes
"I mean really the way to put it was total carnage on the ramp," said Austin Maul, a flight instructor and aviation attorney who hurried to the airport after receiving an emergency alert on his phone.
The damage was extensive despite safety precautions. Many smaller aircraft are typically chained to the ground to prevent movement during windy conditions, but Tuesday's storm proved too powerful for these measures.
"There's a number of planes that were really damaged," Maul said. "There was a plane flipped over, there was one not even in a parking spot anymore, it was kind of out in the middle of the ramp. So those were kind of the main ones. A lot of the damage too came from planes that were still tied down, but they got thrown around so much by the wind."
To put the wind's strength in perspective, Maul noted that these small aircraft typically take off at speeds of about 35 mph, while Tuesday's gusts nearly doubled that at 64 mph.
Airport crews responded quickly after the storm, assessing damage and repositioning aircraft that had been moved by the powerful gusts.