A devastating series of storms with gusts of up to 100 mph tore through the Houston area on Thursday, resulting in power outages that could last for weeks despite the high temperatures. At least seven people lost their lives in the process.
Friday night saw an increase in the number of deaths from the four that authorities had earlier in the day announced.
According to PowerOutage.us, during the height of the storm’s strong gusts, over 900,000 households and businesses in Harris County, Houston, lost power; nearly 600,000 houses and businesses were still without electricity on Friday night.
“For some folks, the luckier ones, (power restoration) might be days, not hours. For many, many people, it’s going to be weeks and not days,” Harris County Judge Lina Hildago said in a Friday news briefing.
Hidalgo said the weeks-long restoration timeframe was for homes and businesses tied into the 10 steel power transmission towers downed in the state, seven of which were in Harris County.
She stated that it is unclear which locations are connected to the transmission cables.
The window for power restoration is concerning, particularly considering that highs will be in the nineties for the weekend and beyond. By next week, the heat index—which gauges how hot the body truly feels—could reach triple digits, increasing the danger to health posed by the worst kind of weather. According to a news release, the City of Houston intended to open cooling centers for locals on Friday.
Chief Samuel Peña of the Houston Fire Department stated at a press conference that two of the recorded deaths appeared to be caused by falling trees, and another by a crane mishap.
Three more county residents who perished in the storm were named by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Friday night. According to a post on X Friday by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, one man fell while attempting to move a downed electrical pole, and a woman perished after lightning struck the trailer she was in and started a fire.
Gonzales said that a different sufferer who was without power went outside to his pickup and plugged in his oxygen tank. The sheriff said on Friday, “He was found unresponsive this morning and pronounced deceased at the scene,” adding that the other deaths had happened in unincorporated Harris County.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who signed a local state of disaster declaration for the city on Friday, toured the downtown area and said the “devastation is significant.”
Whitmire added, “We implore everyone to avoid the area for their own safety and to enable public works personnel to perform their essential duties.”
Parts of the Gulf Coast may see more intense, torrential storms on Friday.
Here’s the most recent information on the storms and damage that occurred in Texas and other Southern states on Friday:
The severe weather on Thursday is categorized as a derecho: The weather service designated the string of powerful storms that crossed Louisiana and Texas as a derecho, a potentially catastrophic meteorological occurrence marked by extensive wind damage connected to a prolonged line of thunderstorms. Derechos are characterized by many well-separated wind gusts over 75 mph in addition to persistent wind gusts of 58 mph or more across a distance of at least 400 miles. Based on the length and intensity of the course, the Storm Prediction Center and other National Weather Service locations made the decision.
In Houston, most of the traffic signals are malfunctioning. Driving is dangerous because of the debris that has covered the roadways from fallen trees and destroyed buildings. “Downtown is in disarray. It’s dangerous since there are no traffic lights and there is glass. Thus, on Thursday, Mayor Whitmire gave the advice to “stay at home.”
Hurricane-force wind gusts have been recorded in Louisiana and Texas: Downtown Houston saw wind gusts as high as 100 mph, according to a storm damage survey team from the National Weather Service on Friday. The meteorological service reported wind gusts of 74 to 78 mph on Thursday night, just east of the Houston metro area. In the New Orleans area, wind gusts as high as 84 mph were recorded by the National Weather Service.
Hurricane-force gusts of wind have been seen in Texas and Louisiana: According to a National Weather Service storm damage survey team, wind gusts as high as 100 mph were recorded in downtown Houston on Friday. Just east of the Houston metro area, the weather service recorded wind gusts of 74 to 78 mph on Thursday night. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 84 mph in the New Orleans area.
Texas is worn down by storms: The Lone Star State has been subjected to apparently never-ending bouts of deluges that cause flooding. Citing “extensive damage caused by these severe storms, historic river flooding, and tornadoes” that started on April 26, Governor Greg Abbott asked for a presidential disaster declaration on Wednesday for communities affected by the onslaught of extreme weather and flooding.
The Houston region is hardest hit by damaging storms.4
Due to extensive damage to the neighborhood, the mayor of Houston urged locals to avoid the roads and stay at home.
“Demolished power lines, debris, and fallen trees have rendered many roads impassable,” the office of Mayor Whitmire stated in a statement on Thursday night.
The storm was so strong that it broke windows in downtown Houston, leaving a trail of broken glass as the traffic lights went out. When the power went out, Costco customers in Houston huddled inside the shop, using their phones as the only source of light while staff closed the doors to keep out the rain and wind.
“Demolished power lines, debris, and fallen trees have rendered many roads impassable,” the office of Mayor Whitmire stated in a statement on Thursday night.
The storm was so strong that it broke windows in downtown Houston, leaving a trail of broken glass as the traffic lights went out. When the power went out, Costco customers in Houston huddled inside the shop, using their phones as the only source of light while staff closed the doors to keep out the rain and wind.
Witness footage shows the intense storm conditions partially tearing off the roof of the downtown Hyatt Regency and partially collapsing a nightclub, sprinkling rain and debris throughout the hotel lobby. A representative for CenterPoint Energy claims that the storm caused damage to their skyscraper in downtown Houston.
More damaging storms possible Friday
After the severe weather of Thursday night, areas of the Gulf Coast were still experiencing damaging, drenching rains on Friday morning. Later on Friday, more storms will bring with them fresh dangers.
From southern Louisiana to sections of Georgia and Florida, there is a Level 2 of 5 chance of severe thunderstorms. Any of these storms has the potential to produce tornadoes, hail, and strong wind gusts.
