Local note: Rainfall as measured at Easterwood Airport in College Station from Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday measured .45 of one inch.
HOUSTON (AP) _ Officials say a possible tornado led to the evacuation of a Houston-area mall that sustained roof and wall damage from a storm system that also flooded roads and left thousands of residents without power.
Texas City Fire Chief Joe Gorman said the Mall of the Mainland was damaged in Monday’s severe storms. He says the dispatcher received reports of a tornado, but that has not been confirmed. He says the mall is closed while a structural engineer investigates the stability of the building.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The National Weather Service City received reports of a tornado making landfall in Texas City. The service says that has not been confirmed. The area was under a tornado warning Monday.
Texas City is about 40 miles southeast of Houston.
HOUSTON (AP) _ Thousands of people and at least five schools have lost power in Houston and some city roads have flooded after powerful thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings and dropped hail and several inches of rain.
The storm and tornado warnings ended early Monday, but more rain is expected in Houston. The city has already increased its readiness level to be prepared for flooding-related evacuations.
Many city streets are already flooded. Some drivers got caught in rising water.
Centerpoint Energy reported outages affecting about 19,600 customers. The Houston Independent School District says five of its campuses lost power.The Dallas-Fort Worth area and parts of West Texas also got drenched Monday.
The widespread soaking comes as Texas contends with one of the worst droughts on record.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)