See it: Deadly storm wallops Houston as ferocious winds leave destructive path across South
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.
Deadly severe thunderstorms in Houston leave over 1 million without power
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.
![A boy walks past a large tree that fell on a home after heavy wind and rain ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston.]()
Image 1 of 19A boy walks past a large tree that fell on a home after heavy wind and rain ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
![A large tree has fallen onto a car and part of a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston.]()
Image 2 of 19A large tree has fallen onto a car and part of a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
![Downed transmission power lines are shown near Grand Parkway and West Rd. after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress.]()
Image 3 of 19Downed transmission power lines are shown near Grand Parkway and West Rd. after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle)
![Storm clouds move over Houston]()
Image 4 of 19Storm clouds move over Houston on May 16, 2024. (@khvetkevych via X)
![Damage around the Houston metro after severe storms.]()
Image 5 of 19Damage around the Houston metro after severe storms (Cy-Fair Fire Department.)
![Power pole damage during severe storm in Houston on 5/16/2024]()
Image 6 of 19Power pole damage during severe storm in Houston on 5/16/2024 (City of Houston)
![Flooding of roadways around Harris County, Texas on 5/16/2024]()
Image 7 of 19Flooding of roadways around Harris County, Texas on 5/16/2024 (Harris County Sheriff's Office)
![Window damage to downtown Houston business on 5/16/2024]()
Image 8 of 19Window damage to downtown Houston business on 5/16/2024 (Matt Horn/FOX 26 Houston)
![Window damage to downtown Houston business on 5/16/2024]()
Image 9 of 19Window damage to downtown Houston business on 5/16/2024 (Matt Horn/FOX 26 Houston)
![Severe storm damage outside of Houston, Texas]()
Image 10 of 19Severe storm damage outside of Houston, Texas (Justin Reed/Cy-Fair Fire Department)
![Severe storm damage outside of Houston, Texas]()
Image 11 of 19Severe storm damage outside of Houston, Texas (Justin Reed/Cy-Fair Fire Department)
![Rain and wind sweep through before the game between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics Minute Maid Park on May 16, 2024 in Houston, Texas.]()
Image 12 of 19Rain and wind sweep through before the game between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics Minute Maid Park on May 16, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Logan Riely)
![Harris County, Texas storm damage]()
Image 13 of 19Harris County, Texas storm damage ( )
![Tree damage in Katy, Texas during Thursday's severe storms]()
Image 14 of 19Tree damage in Katy, Texas during Thursday's severe storms (Katy, Texas EM)
![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.]()
Image 15 of 19Rain 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. (aren Warren/Houston Chronicle )
![Trees bend in the wind and sheets of rain are visible in the headlights of a car on the feeder road of US-69 near Will Clayton Parkway in Humble Thursday, May 16, 2024.]()
Image 16 of 19Trees bend in the wind and sheets of rain are visible in the headlights of a car on the feeder road of US-69 near Will Clayton Parkway in Humble Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle )
![A large tree is seen after it fell on a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston.]()
Image 17 of 19A large tree is seen after it fell on a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
![A car is visible under a fallen tree in downtown Houston on Prairie near Travis after severe storms moved through the area Thursday, May 16, 2024.]()
Image 18 of 19A car is visible under a fallen tree in downtown Houston on Prairie near Travis after severe storms moved through the area Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle)
![Cars are submerged in high water filling a convenience store parking lot as severe storms pass through the area of US-69 near Little York Thursday, May 16, 2024.]()
Image 19 of 19Cars are submerged in high water filling a convenience store parking lot as severe storms pass through the area of US-69 near Little York Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle)
At least seven people were killed in Thursday evening's thunderstorms that swept through the area, officials confirmed.
HOUSTON METRO ROCKED BY SEVERE STORMS THAT LEFT 4 DEAD AND OVER 1 MILLION WITHOUT POWER
Man killed after crane falls on cement truck during Houston's severe storm
A man was killed when a large crane fell on a cement truck during a severe storm in Houston on Thursday, officials say. The tragic incident unfolded about 6:40 p.m. CDT Thursday on Wingate near 75th Street.
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.
Sunny Tang posted a video to TikTok showing people rushing further inside a downtown Houston business as the storm blew out windows.
"Get away from the glass!" a person can be heard yelling in the video.
'Get away from the glass': Storm shatters window at Houston business
Dramatic video shows the moment a glass window was shattered by a powerful storm in Houston, Texas, on Thursday.
Jeff Baker captured an apparent electrical spark flashing at a Houston home under construction across the street before it collapsed moments later.
"I saw the townhouse fall down with my own eyes," Baker said.
Building under construction collapses during deadly Houston storm
A townhouse under construction collapsed as a deadly storm hit Houston, Texas, on Thursday. Footage taken by Jeff Baker shows an electrical spark flashing over a residential Houston street before the wooden framing of a structure collapses into a pile of rubble.
Footage captured by Zack Thomas depicts storm damage in the northwest of the city, with large trees completely uprooted by the wind.
Large trees uprooted in deadly Houston storms
Deadly storms in Houston, Texas, uprooted trees that smashed through fences and downed power lines on Thursday. Footage recorded by Zack Thomas shows storm damage in the northwest of the city.
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." However, 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 Friday morning.
SOME HOUSTON RESIDENTS TOLD COULD BE ‘WEEKS’ WITHOUT POWER AS 90S HEAT RETURNS
Thunderstorm-fueled winds estimated at 90-100 mph toppled trees, blew out windows of Downtown Houston 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.
Listen to wind howl through Wells Fargo Plaza in downtown Houston
Guests in the lobby of Wells Fargo Plaza could hear the pounding 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."