At least four dead in Houston after major thunderstorms blow through Texas

At least four people are dead, and over a million people are without power on Friday, after major thunderstorms hit Houston, Texas, this week and caused major damage to vehicles and houses.

The exact number of fatalities from the series of storms is not clear, but Houston Mayor John Whitmire said at least four, possibly five, people have been killed. The names of the deceased have not been released, but at least two were killed by falling trees, and a third was killed when a crane was knocked over. The number of those injured in the storms have not been released.

“It was fierce. It was intense. It was quick, and most Houstonians didn’t have time to place themselves out of harms way,” Whitmire said at a news conference, per the Associated Press.

A fifth death in Houston is still being investigated, and it is not clear if it was storm related.

The total damage from the storms is still being assessed, but school districts cancelled classes for more than 400,000 students in the Houston area, multiple transmission towers were down, government offices were closed, and at least 2,500 traffic lights were out after the storms.

Harris County Judge Lina Hildago said that the recovery process for the city, and for residents who are without power, could take weeks instead of days. But some power could be restored sooner.

“For some folks, the luckier ones, (power restoration) might be days, not hours. For many, many people, it’s going to be weeks and not days,” Hildago said in a news conference, according to CNN.

The storms carried winds of up to 100 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of winds in a hurricane. Several tornado warnings were also issued on Thursday, but the majority of damage was caused by the powerful winds.

"We’re absolutely focused right now on trying to deal with the numerous roads that are blocked by fallen trees, power lines, and debris from some of the structures," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told FOX Weather. "So we’re coordinating with some of the different crews that are going to be out there so we are asking everybody to be patient as they navigate around some of the slow traffic."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.