Severe thunderstorms tore through Houston, Texas, resulting in four deaths, extensive destruction to property, flooding and leaving over 1 million people without power.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña disclosed at a news briefing that two of the victims were killed by falling trees, while a third died when a crane was blown over.
A resident told WHSV that the damage was so severe it “looks like a bomb went off.”
Some Houston residents reported seeing tornadoes during the chaotic weather, which the NWS Houston will work to confirm in the coming days.
The downtown area of Houston was hit particularly hard, with the aftermath resembling scenes from a horror movie. In one video, people working on an upper floor of a building are seen screaming and fleeing in terror as the storm shatters the glass. Large debris is also seen flying against, and possibly into, the building.
Several videos on X show forceful winds blowing out the windows of skyscrapers in downtown Houston. The National Weather Service also reported, “Widespread debris, glass, and electrical lines are in the streets.”
Watch:
Downtown Houston was just hit with a major tornado 😳 pic.twitter.com/3DUXOEownu
— Champagne Sloshy (@JoshyBeSloshy) May 17, 2024
Intense moments for those sitting in their vehicle as destructive winds clocking in at 80+ mph blew out the windows of skyscrapers in Houston, Texas yesterday and blowing all sorts of debris around!
— Live Storm Chasers (@LiveStormChaser) May 17, 2024
LSC Viewer: Shanna Gonzales pic.twitter.com/IiVGIxPwxK
BREAKING: Widespread damage in Houston after severe storms roll through; windows blown out of skyscrapers downtownpic.twitter.com/SDEEcWmGMe
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 17, 2024
This was the window-busting, tree-toppling storm that blasted Houston.
— Adam Krueger 💯 (@AdamKrueger) May 17, 2024
📍 Mamajuana Cafe, downtown
🎥 Claudia Prats Sanchez pic.twitter.com/d3FytWIewH
Video of intense straight line winds in the downtown Houston area earlier. Wind gusts of 80-100 mph was recorded across the area with nearly a million customers without power.
— StormHQ ☈ (@StormHQwx) May 17, 2024
📸: Sunny Brown#txwx #weather pic.twitter.com/c4Jt7luiZT
Fox Weather reported:
A line of severe thunderstorms swept through southeastern Texas and Louisiana on Thursday, blasting the Houston area with ferocious winds that left at least four dead – including a mother of a newborn – and more than 1 million power customers without electricity.
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. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and National Weather Service encouraged everyone to stay off the roads.
“Widespread debris, glass and electrical lines are in the streets,” the NWS warned.
PowerOutage.us reported that more than 800,000 people in the Houston metro area lost power, but with nearby counties also dealing with outages, the state’s tally climbed to well over 1 million customers at the storm’s peak. The line of storms eventually raced east into Louisiana, pummeling New Orleans with gusts of 84 mph and leaving over 200,000 in Louisiana without power.
An ABC 13 News reporter also captured video showing shattered glass from building windows scattered across the streets and sidewalks, making it dangerous for residents to walk around the city.
Video from @lieggiji of glass covering downtown Houston from blown out windows after our powerful storm. #abc13 #Houston pic.twitter.com/hEOauXG1H4
— Pooja Lodhia (@PoojaOnTV) May 17, 2024
Several trees and power lines were also uprooted and thrown into the streets due to the severe weather.
There are trees and power lines down across the Houston area. A large tree crushed this car on Dowdell Road in Tomball. The other photos are from Saddlecreek Drive and T.C. Jester in the Cypresswood area. Photos from @MARK pic.twitter.com/teSHDkxSqn
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 17, 2024
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has urged residents to stay home, citing the extensive debris and broken traffic lights.
“I can’t emphasize enough the danger of fallen trees and fallen utility wire, he said. “Downtown is a mess. It’s dangerous due to the glass and the lack of traffic lights, so stay at home.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state is deploying resources to the affected area and thanked first responders for their heroic efforts to protect Houston residents.
Our hearts are with the families & loved one of those who lost their lives due to severe storms.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 17, 2024
Texas continues to deploy resources to impacted communities.
I thank the first responders who are working tirelessly to protect their fellow Texans.
Read my full statement here: pic.twitter.com/zKScEoJcxf
