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Residents of the Southeast and Gulf Coast continue to face the threat of severe weather into Saturday as authorities assess damage from a devastating storm that killed at least seven people in the Houston area and caused power outages as temperatures rise. The region is expected to experience heavy rainfall again, with the potential for severe downpours. Thunderstorm.
A complex of storms and tornadoes with winds of up to 160 mph left a trail of destruction in the Houston area on Thursday, damaging several high-rise buildings, causing sewage spills and causing power outages that could last for weeks as temperatures soar.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña announced Thursday that at least four people died in the storm in Houston, two from falling trees and a third from a crane accident.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
A man walks through fallen bricks from a damaged building during a severe thunderstorm in Houston on Friday.
Three more storm-related deaths were reported in Harris County Friday night. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a post on X that a man was killed while trying to move a fallen utility pole, and a woman was killed when the trailer she was riding in was struck by lightning. mentioned in. He went out to his truck to plug in his oxygen tank, but was found unresponsive Friday morning.
“Heartbreaking! My condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones in yesterday's severe weather,” Gonzalez said.
After the damaging storm, high temperatures in the 90s are expected to continue into the weekend and many people are expected to be without air conditioning.
More than 366,000 customers in Harris County remained without power Saturday night due to a series of storms, down from a peak of more than 900,000, according to PowerOutage.us. Officials have warned that it will take a long time to restore power to all customers.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Power lines can be seen knocked out due to severe thunderstorms in Cypress, Texas, near Houston on Friday.
CenterPoint Energy, the region's main power utility, said the storm system caused “significant damage to its electrical transmission and distribution systems.” The company said it has sent thousands of workers to assist with recovery efforts.
The company said on its website that more than 376,000 of its customers were affected, and as of Saturday night, power had been restored to more than 259,000 customers in the past 24 hours.
“CenterPoint Energy is working to have substantially complete restoration of service to customers by the end of the day Wednesday,” CenterPoint Energy said. “The hardest hit areas in our territory include Bellaire, Cypress, Baytown, Greenspoint, Humble and Spring Branch.”
The rain, combined with high winds and power outages, caused more than 100,000 gallons of domestic wastewater, known as sanitary sewage, to spill. Although the spills occurred in three locations across the city, Houston Public Works assured residents that drinking water in the city is safe.
In response to the extreme heat, the city of Houston opened cooling centers for residents Friday, officials announced in a news release. The heat index, which measures how the body is actually feeling, could reach triple digits by next week, increasing health risks from deadly weather threats.
“Starting Saturday, the weather is shifting into a hot, dry pattern, so finding ways to stay cool will be important,” the National Weather Service warned Friday.
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On Friday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who signed the city's local disaster declaration, toured the downtown area and said “the damage is significant.”
“In the interest of safety and to allow public works employees to do their essential work, we strongly encourage everyone to stay away from the area,” Whitmire said.
The National Weather Service has classified a series of severe storms that passed through Texas and Louisiana on Thursday as a derecho. It is a potentially destructive weather phenomenon characterized by extensive wind damage associated with long-lasting lines of thunderstorms.
Derechos will experience sustained wind gusts of 58 mph or higher along a path of at least 400 miles, with some intervals of gusts of 125 mph or higher. Decisions were made based on path length and strength.
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High winds and rain battered the Houston, Texas area on Friday, causing major damage to homes and trees.
More flash flooding and damaging wind gusts possible Saturday
Excessive rain and the chance of severe thunderstorms will continue into parts of the Southeast through Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Newly developing thunderstorms across the southeastern and north-central Gulf of Mexico could produce more flash flooding and damaging wind gusts Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
The risk of severe thunderstorms is expected to reach just 2 out of 5 levels from parts of the Southeast into the Carolinas on Saturday, the Storm Prediction Center said.
“Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are possible over parts of the Southeast and Carolinas and parts of the upper Midwest on Saturday,” the center said. “Damaging winds should be the main threat, but there is also the possibility of occasional severe hail and a tornado or two.”
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The weather bureau said the risk of excessive rainfall was at a slight level 2/4 for parts of the northern Gulf Coast on Saturday, with the risk of flash flooding, urban and river flooding.
Heavy rain is also expected to continue into the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians through Saturday, with the possibility of scattered flash flooding.
On Sunday, thunderstorms are expected to develop over the central plateau and spread eastward by evening. Severe weather is most likely to occur in parts of Nebraska and Kansas, where the Storm Prediction Center has rated the risk of severe thunderstorms as just a Level 2 out of 5.
“Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the main dangers, but a tornado or two is also possible,” the center said.
The chance of thunderstorms will decrease across much of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic by the end of the week, the weather service said.
