HOUSTON — City roads were flooded and thousands of residents lost power Monday after powerful thunderstorms plowed through the area, with a possible tornado damaging and shutting down a nearby mall.
The skies over Houston turned pitch black as the massive storms raced through the drought-stricken area, dropping several inches of rain over a two-hour period. Roads rapidly flooded, and drivers became stranded on major arteries that connect the city’s sprawling neighborhoods and suburbs.
In Texas City, a town 40 miles southeast of Houston, a possible tornado damaged the roof and wall of the Mall of the Mainland. No injuries were reported.
In north and west Texas, meanwhile, the National Weather Service said a cold, steady downpour will drop an inch or two of much-needed rain.
The drought, however, is far from over. “We’re not going to end the drought this winter even if we have above-normal rainfall,” said state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon.
