HOUSTON – A cold front moved in overnight, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to southeast Texas Thursday.
"Many of us were awakened by the strong winds that shook our houses," KPRC Local 2 meteorologist Anthony Yanez said.
The line of storms were out of the Houston area and in the Gulf of Mexico by 5 a.m.
A wind advisory was issued for southeast Texas until 6 p.m.
"It is going to be a windy, blustery and chilly day," Yanez said. "Consistent wind speeds reached 23, 22 mph at 6 a.m. Galveston had 31 mph winds."
Wind gusts reached 40 to 46 mph across the area.
"Be careful driving out there. Don't get too close to those semi-trucks, especially if they aren't loaded properly," Yanez said.
Thursday's high will reach 56 degrees at 3 p.m. and dip down to the mid-40s for the evening. By 10 p.m., the temperature will plummet to 38 degrees.
"The winds do calm at 6 p.m.," Yanez said.
"I was doing yard work in shorts and a tank-top yesterday and now I'm freezing," Dawn Thomas said.
"It's cold and it's windy and I didn't bring my coat," Cynthia Henley said. "It was windy. You could feel it moving the car."
More than 60,000 CenterPoint customers were without power at the height of the storm. As of 3:30 p.m., 8,000 remained without electricity.
Electricity was knocked out to some intersections, so traffic lights were off, making for a dangerous commute.
In northwest Houston, traffic lights were not working at West 43rd at Ella Boulevard. Power was also not on at the intersection of Highway 288 and Reed Road. Crews were sent to turn the lights back on.
More Weather:
Cold Weather Tips:
Check Traffic Now:
- Texas Dept. of Transportation Web site (or call 800-452-9292)
Construction Information:
Airline and Airport Links:
Travel Tips: