A powerful storm system targeted the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, creating a tornado that wreaked havoc east of Houston with winds up to 100 miles per hour.
Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields stretching for miles through the Texas suburbs and destroyed buildings, including an animal shelter.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for the area and warned that a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and heading toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The warning faded as the system moved east.
There were power lines and damage to homes and businesses in Baytown, but no reports of serious injuries, Baytown spokesman Jason Calder said.
A powerful storm system targeted the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, creating a tornado that wreaked havoc east of Houston with winds up to 100 miles per hour
Footage from Houston television station KTRK showed damage to buildings and power lines in Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston, including doors being knocked off by a Harley-Davidson dealership.
Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city’s animal shelter. Fences were knocked down and clapboards and sections of roofs ripped from houses nearby, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said natural gas was flared or burned at the Shell Chemicals site in nearby Deer Park after it lost steam due to severe weather.
“We are taking steps to minimize any noise, light or smoke associated with this activity, although it is expected to continue until units restart,” Smith said via email.
“There is no threat to the community, nor is there any evidence that a tornado landed nearby inside the Chemicals facility.”
The website PowerOutage.us, which collects live power outage data from utilities across the United States, reported that about 123,000 customers in Texas were without power as of Tuesday afternoon, mostly in the Houston area and surrounding counties.
A Pasadena animal shelter said it was destroyed by the extreme weather.
A trailer sits in a detention pond where a tornado was reportedly located along Mickey Gilley Blvd. near the Fairmont Parkway on Tuesday January 24, 2023 in Pasadena, Texas
Radar shows tornado activity near Houston and throughout the Southwest
Drone footage shows the extent of the damage at a home southeast of Houston
A couple who are going to pick up their daughter from school stop to help a driver stuck in an overturned truck in Fairmont and the Beltway
Downed power lines and signs were seen all over the Spencer Highway near Deer Park
Tornado damage along Spencer Highway about a mile east of Beltway 8 near Houston
Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields stretching for miles through the Texas suburbs and destroyed buildings, including an animal shelter
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for the area and warned that a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and heading toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The warning faded as the system moved east
There were power lines and damage to homes and businesses in Baytown, but no reports of serious injuries, Baytown spokesman Jason Calder said
Footage from Houston television station KTRK showed damage to buildings and power lines in Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston, including doors being knocked off by a Harley-Davidson dealership
Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city’s animal shelter. Fences were knocked down and clapboards and sections of roofs ripped from houses nearby, but there were no immediate reports of injuries
The Pasadena Animal Shelter wrote a Facebook note confirming the building was destroyed and asking for help relocating the animals
“We now have a volunteer going there to see how we can help, but all dogs need a safe place. If you have the space (even in your garage) and the heart to open your home to one of these poor animals, now is the time to get in touch! This will take the Rescue Village!’
A trailer is parked in a detention pond where a tornado reportedly hit Mickey Gilley Blvd. happened near the Fairmont Parkway
The Pasadena Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook: “We now have a volunteer going there to see how we can help, but all dogs need a safe place. If you have the space (even in your garage) and the heart to open your home to one of these poor animals, now is the time to get in touch! This will take the Rescue Village!’
It was the start of what was expected to be a stormy day along the Gulf Coast. The Storm Forecasting Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
Areas along the coast from Houston to the Florida Panhandle could see tornadoes, strong winds and hail on Tuesday.
The storm system also brought snow and ice to much of the central US
A man walks through a parking lot with several overturned vehicles, including a trailer that was parked in a parking lot across the street, according to people at the scene
A UPS truck is overturned where a tornado has been reported
An overturned RV crashes into another RV in a parking lot at a Moose Lodge
People walk under downed power lines where a tornado reportedly swept down Mickey Gilley Boulevard
A man walks through a parking lot with several overturned vehicles including a trailer that was parked in a lot across the street,
It was the start of what was expected to be a stormy day along the Gulf Coast. The Storm Forecasting Center in Norman, Oklahoma
Schools and businesses were closed across Oklahoma on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Snowfall ranged from 1 to 6 inches in some locations in the central and eastern parts of the state.
Several school districts in southwest Louisiana laid off students early Tuesday in anticipation of severe weather in the area.
The Deer Park, Texas police chief said no one was injured.