A powerful storm system focused on the Gulf Coast on Tuesday and spawned a tornado that wreaked havoc east of Houston.
The National Weather Service had declared a tornado emergency for that area, warning that a “large, extremely dangerous, and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and headed toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The alert expired when the system moved east.
GEORGIA STORM SPOT OUT TORNADO THAT DAMAGED HOUSES, TREES
There were downed power lines and damage to homes and businesses in Baytown, but no reports of serious injuries, Baytown spokesman Jason Calder said.
A tornado warning was issued Tuesday afternoon for areas near Houston.
Footage from Houston TV station KTRK showed damage to buildings and power lines in Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
NEW ENGLAND HIT BY THE LATEST WINTER STORM
The website PowerOutage.us, which compiles 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.
It was the start of what was expected to be a stormy day along the Gulf Coast. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said areas along the coast from Houston to the Florida Panhandle could see tornadoes, high winds and hail on Tuesday.
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The storm system also brought snow and ice to much of the central US
