Rapper Trae tha Truth, in yellow, cuts fallen tree limbs on top of a car in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
HOUSTON (AP) — Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area.
Officials urged residents to keep off roads following Thursday’s storms, as many were impassable and traffic lights were out. The storm system moved through swiftly, but flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas to the east.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people died during the severe weather. At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another happened when a crane blew over in strong winds, officials said.
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Workers clean up damage inside a downtown restaurant after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
A car crushed by falling bricks from a fallen building wall sits in a downtown parking lot after a severe thunderstorm passed through, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
People stop to take pictures of damage after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Downtown streets are covered in broken glass in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Workers clean up broken glass inside a damaged downtown restaurant after a severe thunderstorm, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Members of the Relief Gang help remove fallen tree limbs from crushed cars in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Rapper Trae tha Truth, in yellow, cuts fallen tree limbs on top of a car in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Transmission power lines are down near the Grand Parkway and West Road after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress, Texas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
Rain blows in from the windows as a severe thunderstorm hit before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
A worker sweeps up shards of broken glass on McKinney near Travis after heavy wind and rain ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
Fans make their way into Minute Maid Park as a severe thunderstorm hit before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
Debris fills the feeder road near Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near downtown Houston after severe storms passed through the area Thursday, May 16, 2024 (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
Houston Police officers move a fallen tree out of the street at Prairie and Travis Street downtown after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) -
Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
A worker walks down a street covered in glass caused by damage from a severe thunderstorm that passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
Workers pause to look a building with blownout glass windows caused by damage from a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) -
A building has blownout windows caused from damage after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown is shown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you’re an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children,” Whitmire said in a Thursday evening briefing. “Our first responders will be working around the clock.”
Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible for eastern Louisiana into central Alabama on Friday, the National Weather Service said.
In Houston, hundreds of windows were shattered at downtown hotels and office buildings, with glass littering the streets below, and the state was sending Department of Public Safety officers to secure the area.
“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmire said, adding that there was a backlog of 911 calls first responders were working through.
The ferocious storms also moved into neighboring Louisiana and left more than 215,000 customers without power. More than 100,000 Entergy Louisiana customers in the New Orleans area lost power, NOLA.com reported.
The weather service forecast office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge issued a flash flood warning through Saturday.
At Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, the retractable roof was closed due to the storm. But the wind was so powerful it still blew rain into the stadium. Puddles formed on the outfield warning track, but the game against the Oakland Athletics still was played.
The Houston Independent School District canceled classes Friday for some 400,000 students at all its 274 campuses.
Flights were briefly grounded at Houston’s two major airports. Sustained winds topping 60 mph (96 kph) were recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
About 900,000 customers were without electricity in and around Harris County, which contains Houston, according to poweroutage.us. The county is home to more than 4.7 million people.
The problems extended to the city’s suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing the damage to transmission lines as “catastrophic” and warning that power could be impacted for several days.
Heavy storms slammed the Houston area during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.
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Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington, and Weber from Los Angeles.
