RENO — A winter storm packing wind gusts more than 80 mph knocked out power to thousands of northern Nevadans, grounded flights and contributed to a fatal pile-up that shut down a stretch of U.S. Interstate 80 Friday.

In Sparks, several trees were blown into roadways and shingles were pulled from rooftops. According to dispatchers, Sparks police received 54 calls just between noon and 2 p.m. on Friday. Dispatchers said a majority of these calls were wind related.

National Weather Service officials reported gusts at 84 miles per hour near Truckee Meadows Community College and trees, power poles and fences falling to the wind.

However, according to weather service meteorologist Scott McGuire, the winds are expected to die down as snow and rain move into the area.

“The strongest gusts were expected between 1 and 4 p.m.,” he said.

The weather service had a strong wind warning in effect until 4 p.m., when rain and snow started to fall across the Truckee Meadows, and all high-profile vehicles were prohibited from traveling through the Washoe Valley area.

The winds also wreaked havoc on local power supplies as NV Energy officials scrambled to restore power to thousands of customers.

According to NV Energy spokesman Karl Walquist,the largest outage in Sparks hit customers on Sullivan Lane, Kleppe Lane, 10th, 18th and 19th streets, El Rancho Drive, as well as Rock Boulevard and Sullivan Lane. That outage started at about noon, he said. 

A smaller outage in east Sparks denied power to customers on Spanish Springs Road, Martini Circle, Quail Landing Court and Canyon Way. That outage started at about 11 a.m. The storm also knocked out service to some of the residents in Sun Valley, he added, including those located on Leone Drive, Carol Drive, Klondike Drive, Honey Bear Drive and Gepford Parkway. That outage started at 11:18 a.m. 

"Crews are out making repairs all around the Truckee Meadows," Walquist said. 

The number to call for outages is 834-4100.

He also urged residents to stay away from downed power lines and to advise NV Energy of downed lines.

Windy conditions also took the blame for a fatal accident on Interstate 80, about 30 miles east of Fernley.

The howling winds reduced visibility to near zero in the middle of the day with blowing dust and dirt on I-80 about 60 miles east of Reno where the eight-vehicle wreck killed one, critically injured four and shut down both westbound lanes for several hours.

According to Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen, blowing dust filled the area at the time of the wreck. The crash killed one, whose name was not released as of press time, and seriously injured six others. The eight-vehicle wreck, which involved four semitrailer trucks and three pickup trucks, also shut down westbound Interstate 80 for several hours. Eastbound Interstate 80 was open with no controls. Westbound traffic was rerouted through Fallon.

The storm had dumped several inches of snow on the Sierras by Friday afternoon. But the high winds postponed scheduled openings at several ski resorts before next week's big Thanksgiving holiday. One gust of 104 mph was recorded near the Mount Rose Ski Resort between Reno and Lake Tahoe.

The National Weather Service predicted that today will be partly sunny with a high near 44.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.