Strong winds cause power outages, damage around Houston area

  

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The strong winds overnight led to downed trees, exploding transformers and power outages across town on Thursday.

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We caught several explosions from our Tower Cam HD above the ABC13 studios in southwest Houston. CenterPoint Energy reported that at one point, close to 61,000 homes and businesses were without power. That happened around 3am.

Those outages are scattered from southeast Houston to The Woodlands.

Meteorologist Casey Curry says wind advisories are posted across our area today. Look for widespread 40-50mph wind gusts. One wind gust was clocked in at 61 miles per hour at around 3:45am Thursday in Bayou Vista.

The chill in the air and the downright unbearable wind made it a long walk for those who work or had appointments in the Medical Center.

"I just have to get out of here 'cause I have to go to the doctor, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here," said Dee Medellin.

David Huff told us, "It's cold, but the wind is obviously making it way worse. Much worse, I'm wearing scrubs right now and it's almost like I'm not wearing pants at all."

The good news is that the winds died down by the evening

Some ABC13 viewers have sent us photos of the power outages and wind damage across the area. We've seen tree branches in the Heights near the North Freeway and North Main, as well as a downed tree in a neighborhood off Beechnut in southwest Harris County.

You can send your photos to news@abc13.com, but please don't put yourself in harm's way to get the shot.

Many of you were also talking about the outages from the wind on Twitter and Facebook. We want to hear from you about conditions where you are. Post to our Facebook page or Tweet your report with the hashtag #abc13.

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