Forecasters say sustained, high winds are expected to hit the region Sunday afternoon and evening, with gusts of 60 miles per hour or more possible.
So now is the time for homeowners to do a tree assessment to determine potential targets during the storm, according to Ted Collins Tree and landscape consultant Mike Tanzini.
He says it's probably too late to schedule an appointment with an arborist before the storm hits, so now is the time to evaluate your property.
``If it falls out in the middle of your empty yard, it's not such a disaster. But if it falls on wires, poles, cars, trees, rooms, houses, roofs, or people, that's when you damage occurring," he said. ``What's the potential target, what's the condition of the tree, what's the species of the tree, those are all relevant. Based on that inquiry, you need to take action if you have trees that have high hazard potential."
Tanzini says that includes keeping your property clear of diseased, dead or weak and dying trees, or ones with large dead branches.
Hardwoods such as oak and maple stand up better to high winds than softwood trees like will and cottonwood.
If the storm topples or uproots trees on your property, Tanzini says people need to be very careful about taking on the trees themselves, especially the large plants.
For that, get an arborist as soon as possible for an assessment, and get in line for some services.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning for Sunday morning into Monday morning with gusts of more than 60mph possible.