Destructive storms leave path of damage across Houston area

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Severe thunderstorms blew out windows in high-rise buildings, downed trees and knocked out power to nearly a million homes and businesses in the Houston area during the height of the storm on Thursday.

In the initial hours after the storm, the mayor's office confirmed four people died as a result of the storm.

The powerful, destructive thunderstorm left downtown streets littered with broken glass and parts of buildings. Street lights and signs dangled loose from wires. Huge chunks of wet insulation that was sucked out of buildings dotted sidewalks.

The downtown Hyatt hotel was just one of many buildings that took a hit from the winds. Guests and staff ran for cover as rain and debris rained down inside the building's famed atrium. No injuries were reported.

A smaller building on Congress at Travis, that houses a bar, lost an entire brick wall on one side of the building. Wiring could be seen dangling out of the gaping hole, and bricks littered the parking lot. It's not clear if there was anyone in the building at the time when the storm struck.

An entire brick wall of a building on Congress and Travis came crumbling down during Thursday's storms.

ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog described the storm as essentially an intense hurricane hitting the city in a short period of time. It moved quickly, turning the sky as black as night, more than an hour before sunset.

Tower cameras show Houston's skyline during a Tornado Watch and severe storms, when the sky turned so dark, it looked like nighttime.

After the wind and rain stopped and the damage started to become apparent, ABC13 Chief Forecaster David Tillman declared the situation to be the worst non-hurricane windstorm to hit the city of Houston in at least 25 years.