Vehicles not immune to violent western winds

A rare storm system working its way from the west coast has caused millions of dollars in damage, left many without power and spurred fires from California to Colorado. According to USA Today, wind speeds reached as high as 123 miles per hour, or the equivalent of a category three hurricane. In Eldorado County, California, a total of seven fires burnt more than 130 acres as the harsh winds whipped fueled the flames. In Southern California alone, 350,000 people lost power due to downed lines. Of that number, 270,000 were still in the dark as of Friday morning.

Meanwhile, in Utah, authorities temporarily closed Interstate 15 after ten semi trucks toppled over in the heavy gusts. Meteorologists are calling the wind storm one of the worst in recent history, and while the winds have died down significantly since they first made landfall, the storms are expected to make their way toward Oklahoma, Missouri and Indiana. Hang on tight.

Scroll through our above image gallery to see some of the automotive carnage that resulted from this storm system.