High winds toppled trees and wires Thursday night, knocking out power to hundreds of homes on the southeast side of Colorado Springs near Pikes Peak Avenue and South Academy Boulevard, according to Colorado Springs Utilities.

Neighbors reported that fallen trees also damaged houses and cars.

Kari McArthur said she was cooking dinner while her husband and two young daughters were in the living room at the front of the house when the wind started to pick up and a sudden downpour hammered her home.

"The outside looked completely white. We couldn't see anything out of our front window," she said.

She turned off the kitchen stove, and her family rushed down to the basement, just barely making it to the steps before the power shut off.

Minutes later, the sudden surge had stopped, leaving be

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