HOUSTON — A severe storm system, including multiple tornadoes, resulted in at least two fatalities and left six individuals injured while sweeping through Texas and Mississippi over the weekend. As the storm progressed eastward into Alabama early Sunday morning, it continued to wreak havoc, damaging properties and overturning vehicles.
By 4 a.m., the National Weather Service’s storm tracker reported the advancing system moving through Alabama, with further warnings for severe thunderstorms anticipated in western Georgia and the northwestern part of Florida bordering the Gulf of Mexico.
In Texas, one individual lost their life in the Liverpool area, located south of Houston. Additionally, four others sustained non-critical injuries, as per reports from the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. Madison Polston highlighted that numerous tornado touchdown points were documented across the county, particularly between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village, and Alvin. While officials have identified approximately ten homes that sustained damage, they are still working to assess the overall destruction.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, a fatality was reported in Adams County, with two injuries noted in Franklin County, according to the state’s Emergency Management Agency. The National Weather Service indicated the occurrence of two tornadoes around Bude and Brandon, causing extensive roof damage across several buildings.
Josh Lichter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned that conditions might deteriorate further as the evening progressed, especially towards the eastern regions. Initial reports suggested at least six tornadoes touched down in the Houston vicinity, although further surveys could reveal additional tornado activity along with impacts from straight-line winds, Lichter noted.
Areas north of Houston, including Katy and Porter Heights, experienced significant destruction of mobile homes, with the force of the winds even blowing in the doors of a local fire station, according to weather officials. The storm not only caused property damage but also resulted in significant delays at Houston’s two main airports, with over an hour of delays reported on Saturday afternoon at both Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports, as recorded by FlightAware.
In Mississippi, approximately 71,000 utility customers were left without electricity due to the storms, a number that was expected to increase, reported Malary White, the chief communications officer for the state’s Emergency Management Agency. By 3:30 a.m. Sunday, around 81,000 were still without power, down from a peak of 93,000 at 1 a.m., according to the electric utility tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Although there were no official damage reports available Saturday, the emergency management agency emphasized that first responders prioritized safety and accounting for all individuals. White indicated that more comprehensive damage assessments would begin in the morning hours.
The National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Alabama, issued severe thunderstorm warnings overnight for several southern areas of the state, urging residents to seek shelter due to the threat of damaging winds that could reach up to 60 mph (96.5 kph).
