A storm system spawned severe thunderstorms in Houston Thursday, causing at least four fatalities and leaving more than 1 million customers without power across southeastern Texas.
HOUSTON — Deadly severe storms have left hundreds of thousands in the dark, damaging homes and sending debris across city streets in Houston. Videos across the area showed the ferocious storm conditions and the widespread damage left behind.
At least four people were killed in Thursday evening’s thunderstorms that swept through the area, Mayor John Whitmire confirmed, urging all non-essential employees to work from home Friday.
HOUSTON METRO ROCKED BY SEVERE STORMS THAT LEFT 4 DEAD AND OVER 1 MILLION WITHOUT POWER
Hurricane-force winds tore apart buildings, blowing out windows and sending heavy bricks slamming to the ground, causing people to run for cover in the country’s fourth-largest city.
A tornado-warned storm caused significant damage in downtown Houston, with windows blown out of tall buildings on Thursday evening.
In nearby Minute Maid Park, wind and water were seen blowing into the building as gusts reached over 70 mph. “The winds are so strong, they’re blowing the water straight in,” said a photographer with Saltwater Recon. “We’ve got to be careful standing under this glass.”
But the severe weather did not appear to affect the play of the Astros baseball game.
The local National Weather Service issued several Tornado Warnings as winds whipped through downtown Houston, decimating power lines and leaving over 800,000 Houston customers without power on Friday morning.
Winds, reported as high as 78 mph, toppled trees, blew out windows of high-rise buildings and caused transmission towers holding power lines to crumble.
At Wells Fargo Plaza, guests in the lobby could hear the roar of the winds driving torrential rains outside with debris flying by the windows.
Footage captured by @Maurizio098 on X showed a toppled tree obstructing Stonecrest Drive in the city’s northwest.
“Everyone’s coming together — that’s what we do best in Houston,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said. “Let’s get through this challenge.”