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Weather service confirms Halloween tornado touchdown in the Houston area
PHOTOS: A look back at Houston’s memorial day flood
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touchdown in the Eagle Lake area on Wednesday evening. Surveyors were checking Thursday morning whether more tornadoes touched down in the area.
>>> See how people reacted to the damage from one of America’s costliest floods
PHOTOS: A look back at Houston’s memorial day flood
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touchdown in the Eagle Lake area on Wednesday evening. Surveyors were checking Thursday morning whether more … more
Photo: Facebook
The National Weather Service in Houston confirmed at least one tornado touched down in Eagle Lake on Wednesday as thunderstorms drenched the Houston area, causing high water rescues, power outages and the death of a Waller County sheriff’s deputy.
RELATED: Thousands lose power as spooky Halloween weather hits Houston
Weather service meteorologist Nikki Hathaway said the tornado’s path went from Eagle Lake to Sealy. The weather service confirmed the tornado after obtaining a video that showed debris near the bottom of the funnel, she said.
Surveyors were still working to confirm any other tornado touchdowns in the area on Thursday morning. Rotations were also reported in the Katy area and in Fort Bend County Wednesday evening.
Throughout the Houston area, two waves of storms affected more than just trick-or-treaters. An estimated 71,000 CenterPoint customers lost power by 9:30 p.m., according to earlier reports.
Then, around 9:50 p.m., a Waller County deputy crashed into a ditch on FM362 at Hoover. The deputy told dispatchers she couldn’t get the vehicle doors open, but she broke a window before other law enforcement officials arrived.
The deputy was later pronounced dead at Memorial Hermann Cypress, earlier reports said.
RELATED: Waller County deputy dies in crash during severe storms
In Galveston, some vendors at the city’s Lone Star Rally sustained minor damage from the storm, pushing the festival’s starting time from 10 a.m. Thursday to noon, according to the city’s Facebook page.
Houston area residents should expect clearer, cooler weather until Saturday night, when forecasters predict a slight chance of thunderstorms. Sunday brings a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms.
Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message