Tornadoes Tear Through Houston Area, Leaving One Dead and Homes Damaged
In the north of Houston, tornadoes touched down in Katy, Cypress, Porter Heights, and Splendora, according to the National Weather Service. In the south, several homes were destroyed when a tornado hit between Alvin and Liverpool. The weather service issued many tornado warnings for the region.
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| A tornado crosses a field in Katy, Texas, Dec. 28, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. |
One person died in the Liverpool area, and four people were injured but not critically, said Madison Polston, spokesperson for the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.
Polston said there were "multiple touchdown points" in the county between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village, and Alvin. She mentioned that around 10 homes were damaged, but they are still assessing the full extent of the damage.
Jason Smith, deputy chief of staff for Montgomery County, just north of Houston, told CBS News that 50 to 100 homes were damaged, and trees and power lines were downed. Two people were hospitalized, but there were no reports of critical injuries.
Mobile homes were damaged or destroyed in Katy and Porter Heights, where a fire station's doors were also blown in, the weather service said. They described one tornado near Stowell in Chambers County as "large and extremely dangerous."
Due to the storms, both Houston's main airports, Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, experienced departure delays of over an hour.
Severe weather has affected several parts of the U.S. this holiday week. On Thursday, thunderstorms caused ground stops at both Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.
