At least 4 dead in Houston after ‘exceptionally’ strong storm hits Texas: mayor

At least four people died Thursday after ‘exceptionally’ strong storm hit Houston, mayor says John Whitmire.

Wind gusts reached 78 mph in the area.

Preliminary investigations indicate that falling trees caused two deaths and a fallen crane caused one, according to authorities.

Urging residents to stay home, Whitmire said the city was in “recovery mode” and that schools would be closed Friday in the Houston area.

More than 788,000 customers were without power Friday morning in Texas.

The intense winds came after a rare “high risk” flash flood warning was issued in Texas and Louisiana, with states bracing for up to 9 inches of rain in 24 hours.

“The high-risk area has received more than 600% of its normal precipitation in just the past two weeks,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned, and flash flooding could be life-threatening.

“High risk” days make up only 4% of days, but they are responsible for more than a third of flood deaths, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

MORE: U.S. seeing more tornado outbreaks, despite fewer tornado days overall, researchers say

The threat of severe weather in Houston is now over, allowing residents to begin cleaning up Friday.

The threat of severe weather has now moved east, with damaging winds and large hail possible from Louisiana to Georgia.

At least 4 dead in Houston after ‘exceptionally’ severe storm hits Texas: Mayor was originally published on abcnews.go.com