As Thanksgiving week began in Houston, a series of violent storms swept across southeast Texas, leaving behind a trail of destruction, power outages, and anxious residents. The National Weather Service extended a tornado watch across the region until 1 a.m. on November 25, 2025, as a second wave of severe weather battered the Greater Houston area, compounding the damage already wrought by an earlier confirmed tornado.
According to the National Weather Service, the chaos began on the afternoon of November 24, when a tornado touched down in northwest Houston. Cameron Self, a meteorologist with the agency’s Houston and Galveston office, told Houston Public Media, “We do think there was a tornado. We had a spotter site one pretty close to where we saw rotation in the radar, near 249 and Grant. There’s also evidence on radar that maybe there was a little bit of debris.” The tornado was first reported around 1:30 p.m. as it moved from Cypress into the Spring area of northwest Harris County, and it was later confirmed by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who noted the touchdown occurred just southeast of Spring Cypress and Highway 249.
Storm warnings were issued for northwestern Harris County and southwestern Montgomery County as the system intensified. Residents and officials took to social media to share images of the aftermath: toppled trees, splintered rooftops, and battered homes. The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office reported that more than 100 homes in the Spring area suffered damage, a staggering figure that underscored the tornado’s ferocity.
CenterPoint Energy, the main electricity provider for much of Houston, struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing situation. At one point Monday afternoon, more than 20,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to the company’s outage tracker. As evening fell, the number of outages in northern Harris County alone stood at 7,284, with many traffic lights in northwest Harris County left inoperable, creating additional hazards for drivers.
“With reports of one tornado touchdown north of the Jersey Village area, we’re closely monitoring the weather as conditions continue to evolve,” said Lena Dziechowski, CenterPoint Energy’s lead meteorology specialist, in a statement released November 24. “An additional line of storms is expected late this evening with the potential for isolated strong wind gusts and lightning. Our teams are responding to each outage as safely and quickly as possible.”
Emergency response teams fanned out across the affected neighborhoods. Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman assured the public, “We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our community. Our deputies are out in full force assisting those in need.” Deputies responded to the 8000 block of Summer Grove Circle after a tornado touched down in the Memorial Northwest neighborhoods, where multiple homes sustained significant damage. Drones were deployed for aerial assessments and to help locate any injured residents, though, as of 3 p.m., no injuries or fatalities had been reported—a small relief amid the chaos.
In addition to residential damage, commercial and public buildings were not spared. Along Louetta Road in Spring, both homes and businesses sustained structural damage. Harris County Emergency Services District No. 11 reported that its administrative campus and maintenance building were hit, with part of the maintenance building collapsing. “Our Administrative Campus did sustain damage in the tornado that came through Klein today. All staff is accounted for and safe,” ESD 11 officials shared in a Facebook post. “The incident will not affect normal operations, rest assured we are still answering and responding to your calls for emergency service.”
As the storms continued into the night, the region braced for further trouble. The tornado watch, which covered Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend, Montgomery counties and 25 other counties in southeast Texas, meant that conditions remained ripe for more tornadoes to form. Meteorologist Cameron Self warned, “The primary concerns are going to be large hail, damaging wind gusts and even the potential for a few tornadoes. We’re watching the radar very closely.”
The deluge also brought the risk of flash flooding, particularly in areas with poor drainage. However, Self noted that the region’s recent drought conditions meant that “the ground, the rivers, the bayous, they can handle quite a bit of rainfall. However, you could not rule out some localized flash flooding, particularly in a location that has poor drainage.” Rainfall totals were expected to be manageable overall, but with an 80% chance of rain Monday night, the threat lingered.
Officials scrambled to clear debris and restore a semblance of order. Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey deployed trucks to remove fallen trees and other hazards from the roads. “Precinct 3 crews are working hard throughout the evening to clear debris from the roads in areas impacted by today’s tornado. As night falls, please heed caution and remember to please stay clear and: Do not drive around road closures. Do not walk around debris sites. Avoid placing yard debris in roadways,” Precinct 3 officials advised in a public update.
Residents were encouraged to report fallen trees and debris to Harris County Precinct 3, either by phone or through an online service request. Those whose homes or businesses suffered damage were also urged to file reports with the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s iSTAT tool, which helps local authorities gauge the severity and breadth of disaster impacts.
Despite the widespread destruction, the community’s resilience shone through. In the 9000 block of Bayou Bluff, a house suffered roof damage, but, as Sheriff Gonzalez noted, “thankfully everyone was able to exit without any injuries.” This sentiment echoed throughout the region, as emergency crews, utility workers, and neighbors came together to help those most affected.
Looking ahead, the forecast offered a glimmer of hope. Self predicted that skies would clear by Tuesday, with sunshine expected through Friday and cooler temperatures on the horizon—highs in the 60s and lows dipping into the 40s. “By tomorrow, this is out of here,” Self said, offering a much-needed sense of relief to a weary city.
As Houston picks up the pieces, the events of November 24, 2025, serve as a stark reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the importance of community in times of crisis. The response from officials and residents alike demonstrated both preparedness and compassion, laying the groundwork for recovery as the city moves forward.
