Exceptional wind storms that can leave some Houston residents without power for weeks left damage comparable to that caused by a hurricane, meteorologists said Friday.
“We believe this windstorm is likely to be the most significant for the Houston area since Hurricane Alicia in 1983,” said Janice Maldonado, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office.
At least four people died after storms hit Houston on Thursday. Strong winds toppled transmission towers, blew out windows and uprooted trees.
The National Weather Service confirmed Friday that an EF1 tornado touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress, and crews were investigating several other possible tornadoes in the area. Straight-line winds gusting more than 80 mph in a single direction were blamed for the damage, Maldonado said.
“The environment yesterday in southeast Texas was very favorable for these conditions,” Maldonado said, citing wind shear, a cold front and moisture in the atmosphere.
The storm was extreme even for Houstonians accustomed to strong weather.
“I would say it’s… a generational wind event for Houston. I mean, you don’t see this kind of thing very often, unless, of course, you’re in a hurricane or a tornado,” said Victor Gensini, professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University.
It was what meteorologists call a microburst, which is like “pouring pancake batter into a frying pan…it hits the ground and then gets pushed in all directions,” Gensini said.
Severe weather events raise questions about the role of global warming. After all, most people experience climate change through changes in the weather, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit organization with a team of scientists that researches and analyzes climate change. Extensive scientific research indicates that the storms will become more intense, for example, dropping more rain as the atmosphere warms and holds more water vapor.
The effect of climate change on storms is less clear than on other meteorological phenomena, such as heat waves or hurricanes. Gensini explained that this is because storms are short-lived and cover relatively small distances.
“Imagine if you had a telescope, it would be relatively easy, depending on the power of your telescope, to see Jupiter. But if your telescope has the same power, you’re trying to pick out one of Jupiter’s moons, that’s a little more difficult,” he said.
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This story has been corrected to show that the Houston suburb hit by a tornado is Cypress, not Cyprus.
