Fierce windstorm slams western, central U.S., sparking blizzard conditions for some Matthew Cappucci, The Washington Post Jan. 14, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail A serious windstorm is still raging over parts of the Plains and Upper Midwest after bringing wind gusts above 100 mph that roared through the Rockies and parts of the Plains. The storm, which will generate hours of damaging winds as far east as the Twin Cities, knocked out power to more than 700,000 in the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday. At least 180,000 remained in the dark early Thursday in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, a number that will likely grow as the strong gusts expand east.