BRAZOS VALLEY SEES HEAVY STORM DAMAGE FRIDAY NIGHT

  

Severe thunderstorms Friday night brought rain and heavy winds to the region, leading to power outages, downed trees, and some structure damage.

The storms sped across Texas, affecting several metropolitan areas such as Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. The storms also affected areas locally, with all or part of Washington, Austin, Burleson, Brazos, Grimes, and Waller Counties placed under severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches.  Some saw winds of up to 70 miles per hour.

No major damage was reported in Washington or Grimes Counties, but there were reports of structure damage in Bryan, along with downed trees and power lines in Brazos County. There were also social media reports of heavy damage south of Brenham, near Industry.

Officials with Burleson County Emergency Management reported a home in Somerville was affected by a downed power line, and Somerville ISD’s Yegua Center, which is also used as an activity center, saw major roof damage from the wind. Several barns in the county, namely in the Caldwell area, were destroyed due to high winds.  There were also reports of downed trees and power lines in the northwest part of the county, near the border with Lee County.

Around 8,400 customers across BTU and College Station Utilities were without power, while roughly 400 Bluebonnet Electric customers were without power west of Brenham along Highway 290. San Bernard Electric Cooperative reported a little over 200 members without power in and around Austin County, while CenterPoint Energy reported more than 41,000 customers in and around Houston were without power.