Tuesday afternoon turned turbulent across northwest Harris County as the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning that stretched into nearby Fort Bend and Waller counties. Forecasters cautioned residents about hail big enough to damage vehicles and strong straight-line winds with the kind of punch that can peel shingles, knock down limbs and topple weaker trees.
What the Warning Covers
According to the National Weather Service, the warning zone included north-central Fort Bend County, southeastern Waller County and west-central Harris County, with an expiration time of 5 p.m. CDT. Product feeds from local NWS radar, relayed on Weather Underground, showed that at 4:29 p.m. CDT a severe thunderstorm was located near Jersey Village, moving southwest at about 15 mph and capable of producing hail up to 1.00 inch in diameter and wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Neighborhoods in the Path
FOX 26 Houston highlighted a long list of communities under the warning, including Katy, Jersey Village, Hunters Creek Village, Bunker Hill Village, Piney Point Village, several Spring Branch neighborhoods, Westchase and parts of Cypress along with the Addicks/West Oaks corridor. Those reports echoed the National Weather Service in stressing that the main concerns were hail damage to cars and trucks on the road and wind damage to roofs and trees.
Impacts and Safety Tips
Officials urged anyone caught outside to move indoors as quickly as possible and to avoid parking or standing under trees where branches could come down. The National Weather Service advises seeking shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, staying away from windows and monitoring official alerts until the storm has cleared the area.
Where to Get Updates
For ongoing coverage, residents were encouraged to keep an eye on live radar and local weather reports from trusted outlets such as Space City Weather and their preferred TV station storm feeds. FOX 26's live radar and storm alerts tracked the cells as they slid across northwest Houston, providing up-to-the-minute information on the warning and when the rough weather was expected to move on.
