Powerful Texas Winds Toss Semi Trucks Around Effortlessly

      AccuWeather via YouTube

      Toy semi-trucks are a staple in every child's car collection. These toys often endure rough treatment due to their sturdy nature. However, as the saying goes, the larger they are, the harder they fall. Recently, severe weather with hurricane-strength winds brought down big rigs throughout the Southern Plains.

      A significant dust storm combined with extreme winds has resulted in at least three fatalities and numerous injuries in Texas and Oklahoma, according to AccuWeather. Winds exceeding 100 mph caused a large pileup on Interstate 27 in Canyon, Texas, located in the Texas panhandle. Storm chaser Blake Brown captured footage showing poor visibility conditions, with 18-wheelers tipping over like toys.

      “There it goes. There goes another one,” Brown remarked in the video as tractor-trailers toppled one after the other due to the intense winds.

      One substantial pileup involved approximately 38 vehicles. Local officials were unaware of the crash's scale until after the storm passed. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” stated Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

      “This is terrible out here,” trucker Charles Daniel told the Associated Press. “There’s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I’m not running over 55 mph. I’m afraid I’ll get blown over if I do.” Daniel was driving a 48-foot trailer on Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma.

      “What’s unique about this event is its sheer size and intensity,” commented Bill Bunting from the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, to the AP. “This is producing significant impacts over a very wide area.”

      As reported by the AP, the extreme weather conditions will impact a broad region housing over 100 million people. High winds are predicted from the U.S.-Canadian border down to the Southern Plains, encompassing Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition to near-zero driving visibility, northern regions may experience blizzard-like conditions, while the southern areas face an increased risk of wildfires.

      In Oklahoma, over 130 fires were reported yesterday, prompting evacuation orders for many communities. The winds also led to severe tornadoes sweeping through Missouri, resulting in at least 10 fatalities. Currently, hundreds of thousands across the Midwest and South remain without power, as noted by poweroutage.us.

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