POCATELLO — Destructive winds on Tuesday toppled trees, downed power lines, disrupted traffic and damaged buildings throughout the city, according to the Pocatello Fire Department.

The gusts occurred ahead of a winter storm that was dumping snow on East Idaho by Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories alerting the public of the incoming wintry weather.

In addition to causing numerous power outages in Pocatello, the winds that hit the region knocked down an Idaho Power transmission line on Tuesday morning, leaving over 2,300 of the utility’s customers throughout Southeast Idaho without electricity for several hours.

Authorities said the only incident connected to the gusts that resulted in someone getting hospitalized occurred around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when the winds toppled a large tree at East Benton Street and South Seventh Avenue near Idaho State University. The tree crushed a fence and landed on an occupied car. A man who was inside of the vehicle had to be transported via Pocatello Fire Department ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, according to Assistant Fire Chief Ryan O’Hearn. The man’s name has not been released.

The tree blocked traffic on East Benton for more than two hours until it was removed.

The story was the same across the Gate City on Tuesday as the winds downed trees and power lines, shutting down streets and leaving thousands of Idaho Power customers in Pocatello temporarily without electricity. Busy Pocatello intersections such as East Center Street and 13th Avenue, Quinn and Hawthorne roads, and Pole Line and Eldredge roads were closed for hours as the gusts took their toll on the city.

A strong gust also ripped part of the roof from the Fargo Apartments in downtown Pocatello on Tuesday morning. The roofing material blew from the apartment building, located at 340 S. Arthur Ave., and landed in an adjacent parking lot at about 9:35 a.m. Fortunately the roof didn’t inflict any injuries.

Shane Grow, a battalion chief with the Pocatello Fire Department, said the intense winds, which struck Tuesday morning and afternoon ahead of the winter storm entering the area, caused widespread damage in Pocatello.

He said the gusts blew over carports, knocked down signs and ripped roofing and siding off of buildings in addition to uprooting trees and causing power outages.

According to the National Weather Service, the gusts exceeded 60 mph at Pocatello Regional Airport. The strong winds gave way to freezing rain at about 3 p.m. Tuesday and by 5 p.m. snow was falling throughout the Pocatello area.

The winter storm is expected to dump up to 4 inches of snow on most of East Idaho, including the Pocatello, Chubbuck, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Ammon and Rexburg areas. The region’s higher elevations are expected to receive even more snow depending on the storm’s severity.

The snow is forecast to continue falling until around 5 a.m. Wednesday.