Strong winds uproot three trees in Rockrimmon neighborhood
Strong gusts of wind brought down three trees in a Rockrimmon neighborhood Friday evening.
"We could've waited and gotten a free Christmas tree and all," said Hector Villarreal who saw one of the 30-foot-tall trees fall onto his drive way.
Villarreal says there was surprisingly minimal damage from all three trees that fell onto he and his neighbors' front yards.
Timothy Schardt, who has lived more than 20 years in Colorado Springs, says he and his neighbors have never witnessed such strong howling winds.
"My neighbors that I've talked to have never seen anything like this and me neither," he said. "I've never been in winds that loud either my whole life."
The winds peaked at a speed of 73 miles per hour at the Air Force Academy, according to KRDO's meteorologist Sam Postich. To achieve category one hurricane winds, there must be sustained gusts between 74 and 95 miles per hour.
Schardt says the uprooted spruce tree in his front yard probably won't break the bank.
"We were really fortunate to have a really great HOA and so if that hadn't been the case I would have been calling like a limbing service," Schardt said. "I'm sure it's gonna be a few hundred bucks to be able to have somebody cut it up and chip it and everything."
