Houston weather: Storms lead to power outages, rescue, fire; Easter weekend forecast
HOUSTON - Overnight storms left thousands without power, prompted a rescue along a Houston bayou and may be to blame for a house fire.
There is still a chance for rounds of heavy rain on Friday, primarily along the coastline. Although inland locations will see scattered activity, the threat for flooding in Houston is much less likely.
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Saturday will start cloudy and cool with some early showers and partial afternoon clearing, but Easter Sunday looks nice.
Next week a coastal low may mess with cloud cover and rain chances if it forms, so expect some changes there and check back over the weekend for updates.
Power outages in Houston
As storms moved through Houston on Thursday night, thousands were without power. Around 11 p.m., CenterPoint Energy reported over 10,000 people without power. As of 7 a.m. Friday, the number of affected CenterPoint customers had dropped below 6,000.
To see the latest power outages reported by CenterPoint, click here.
To see the latest power outages reported by Entergy, click here.
Firefighters rescue 3 under bridge
Firefighters rescued three people from under a bridge along Buffalo Bayou who became trapped as water levels rose.
The call came in shortly after 4 a.m. Friday near Smith and Preston in Downtown Houston.
According to the fire department, three people had been sleeping under the bridge but couldn’t get out because the water level had risen over the walkway.
The fire department said the people weren’t in immediate peril, so they were able to lower down a ladder and allow them to climb out.
Officials said they had a boat on standby, but it was a last resort because the water was moving very rapidly and there was debris in the water.
House fire may have been caused by lightning strike
In west Houston, fire officials believe a lightning strike caused an electrical issued that sparked a house fire on Thursday night.
Firefighters responded to the home on 10100 Knoboak Drive around 10 p.m.
Officials say the residents were able to get out of the home. Firefighters contained the fire to the garage and the attic above.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters said they had just checked out a house about a block away that had reported a lightning strike.