The year of ups and downs: Houston's biggest stories from 2017

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In 2017, the Houston area saw its share of ups and downs. From stories that made us laugh and cry, to seeing heartbreaking images of our neighbors during Hurricane Harvey, we remained resilient.

We came together.

We overcame.

And boy did we celebrate after the Astros won its first World Series championship.

In a year that will go down in the history books, we're taking a look at some of Houston's biggest news stories from 2017.

1. Houston hosts Super Bowl LI in February

All eyes were on the city of Houston for Super Bowl 51. The NFL's championship game featured the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons in an epic comeback. Global musician Lady Gaga rocked the halftime show and it became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance in history.

Houston was the real winner of this year's Super Bowl

2. Texans select quarterback Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans traded up to the No. 12 spot in the 2017 NFL Draft to select the franchise's future: Clemson's Deshaun Watson. In his first year with the Texans, Watson has exceeded expectations and stamped his name in as the Texans starting quarterback.

Before his season-ending injury, Watson was on pace to break rookie quarterback numbers and take the Texans offense to the top of the NFL.

Deshaun Watson speaks to the media after being drafted by the Texans.

3. Fatal confrontation at Denny's sparks local outrage

The violent confrontation took place late May 28, on the eve of Memorial Day, at a Denny's restaurant in Sheldon, an unincorporated community in northeastern Harris County. Surveillance video from the restaurant captured the confrontation.

John Hernandez, 24, died from injuries sustained from the fight. Deputy Chauna Thompson, her husband, Terry Thompson, were indicted on murder charges.

Timeline of events of the deadly confrontation outside a Denny's restaurant

4. Hurricane Harvey devastates the Houston area

Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on Houston and the state of Texas, leaving behind flooding and billions worth of devastation. Harvey made landfall not once but three times: first hitting near Corpus Christi and then a second and third landfall in western Louisiana. Harvey dumped 20 trillion gallons of rain on Houston alone. According to ABC News, that's enough to supply water to New York City for five years. Damages were estimated to surpass $120 billion.

Hurricane Harvey has wrecked havoc since it first made landfall on Aug. 25, creating a crisis in Southeast Texas and leaving behind a devastating flood in Houston. Here's a look at the numbers so far:

During the aftermath of Harvey, Texans came together to help out. Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale opened his Gallery Furniture stores for those displaced by Harvey. His heroism captured the hearts of people across the world -- even to the start of a petition seeing "Mattress Mack Day" in Houston. Texans star J.J. Watt raised more than $37 million in a relief fund for hurricane victims. Watt's relief fund disclosed that it raised a total of $37,132,057 and had 209,431 total donors.

'Mattress Mack' opened his stores to residents displaced by the flooding.

5. Houston Astros win World Series

In one of the most thrilling World Series of all time, the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 to win the franchise's first title. The Astros championship brought the city of Houston a reason to celebrate after months of recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

Crowds explode as Astros players come through the World Series victory parade.

6. Snow, is that you? Houston becomes winter wonderland

If you entered 2017 thinking it would snow in the Houston area, you might want to check your luck in the next Powerball drawing. It had been years since snow fell over the area, but the winter gods shined on Houston in early December.

ABC13 viewers captured the overnight snow and winter fun

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