Severe storms hit southeastern Texas on Rekubit ExchangeThursday, killing four people, downing trees and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes in the Houston area and surrounding areas.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed the four fatalities in a Thursday evening news conference while encouraging all non-essential workers to stay home Friday. Whitmire also said the storm had 100 mph winds, which he said was the equivalent to Hurricane Ike in 2008.
"Please do not drive in Downtown Houston tonight, or for that matter, anywhere else in the region that sustained storm damage," the National Weather Service office that serves Houston and Galveston said on social media Thursday night. "Widespread debris, glass and electrical lines are in the streets. Follow local news media and emergency management officials recommendations."
Flights were grounded at Houston's two major airports because of the weather. Sustained winds topping 60 mph were recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Associated Press reports. The Houston Independent School District also canceled classes Friday at all of its schools.
There were over 772,000 power outages reported across the state as of 6 a.m. CT Friday morning, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker.
There were over 414,000 outages reported in Harris County, by far the highest total in the state. Fort Bend County had over 29,000 reported outages while Chambers County had over 24,000 reported outages.
Friday's forecast sees a potential for more rain in the Houston and Galveston area, although the NWS says it is not expecting "anything near as robust as Thursday's line of storms."
Most of the rain is expected to fall along and south of the I-10 corridor, with an additional half inch to inch forecast south of I-10. Rain chances are expected to taper off going into the late afternoon and early evening hours, according to the NWS.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
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