El Paso Winds Take Out Iconic El Paso Star On The Mountain

Yesterday’s windy weather left some damage behind, including knocking out half of the lights on El Paso’s iconic Star on The Mountain. 

'Tis the season for windy weather in El Paso. Just this past weekend, winds were whipping across the Sun City, toppling everything that wasn’t tied down and even damaging the outdoor movie screens at the Coliseum, prompting the postponement of its upcoming drive-in movie series. 

With more winds expected this week, Accuweather.com and local news sources issued a High Wind Watch in Effect for Tuesday morning through the late evening, with winds gusting up to 60 mph. 

Yesterday’s high winds did more than aggravate our allergies. They also caused extremely low visibility on roadways, making it look more like planet Mars than the Sun City, hiding the sun behind a veil of dust and wind for most of the day. 

The winds were also responsible for blowing debris and dust everywhere, knocking out power twice at our studios, and even managing to take out half the lights of El Paso’s iconic Star on the Mountain. 

El Paosans like Angel Cabrales posted on Instagram showing the star half-lit into the evening hours.

Not quite sure if the wind blew the lights or electrical components out or what happened, but the El Paso Chamber of Commerce is actively working with El Paso Electric to get it fixed and up and running again.  

El Paso winds are no joke; according to weatherspark.com, the winds in El Paso are more prevalent four months out of the year (February to June), with average wind speeds of more than 9 miles per hour. While the windiest day of the year usually falls in mid-April, with an average hourly wind speed of 11 miles per hour. 

With more windy days on the way, make sure you bring in your pets and plants, keep a tight grip on those car doors, and mask up because it helps not just during a pandemic but also saves us from all the dust blowing around.