On May 14, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined a level 2/Slight risk for severe weather across portions of central and northern Texas.[11]This risk area was zonally extended westward to the Texas–New Mexico border and eastward into southern Mississippi the following day.[12] By the morning of May 16, a level 3/Enhanced risk was delineated across central Texas, extending southward and eastward toward the Texas and Louisiana gulf coasts during the afternoon hours.[13][14] Convective activity was already ongoing by the time of these outlooks, focused along and north of an outflow boundary from Midland into northeastern Texas.[15] The environment south of these storms was characterized by rich low-level moisture and rapidly cooling temperatures with height, contributing to mixed-layer convective available potential energy values at or above 3,000 J/kg, indicative of a very unstable environment.[14] Farther east across southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana, a greater surge of moisture began to advect with a northward-moving warm front bringing dewpoints as high as the upper-70s °F into the coastal counties. Forecasters believed that not only would thunderstorms develop along the frontal boundary, but also that the front may act to intensify the pre-existing line of storms approaching from the west.[16]
By mid-afternoon, an expansive mesoscale convective system evolved across much of central and eastern Texas, exhibiting numerous updrafts and an increasing potential for extensive damaging winds.[17] As this complex surged southeastward, it evolved into a derecho—a particularly long-lived and widespread damaging wind event—as it moved into the Greater Houston metropolitan area. While the highest wind gust recorded by an anemometer reached 78 mph (126 km/h), post-storm damage surveys conducted by the local National Weather Service office estimated that winds reaching 100 mph (160 km/h) moved through portions of the downtown area.[18] Three EF1 tornadoes accompanied this activity.[19] The derecho maintained vigor as it continued eastward into Louisiana during the evening hours, fueled by continued transport of warm air from the south.[20] Isolated hurricane-force wind gusts were recorded, including an 84 mph (135 km/h) gust at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport. Another EF1 tornado was confirmed in Romeville.[21] By the pre-dawn hours of May 17, this convective line progressed offshore into the Gulf of Mexico, with instability confined to the immediate coastline. As such, the threat of inland severe weather decreased,[22] leaving behind widespread damaging wind reports across portions of the Gulf Coast states.[23]
As the derecho moved through the Greater Houston area, it produced wind gusts of up to 100 mph (161 km/h) in Downtown Houston.[2] The derecho was considered the worst damaging wind event to affect Houston in nearly 25 years. The strong winds in Downtown Houston blew out the windows of many high-rise buildings in the area, littering the streets below with broken glass. A brick building occupied by a bar near the intersection of Congress Street and Travis Street suffered the collapse of a wall.[24] The derecho caused extensive damage to transmission lines along with widespread straight-line damage and more than a million customers lost power in the Greater Houston area and nearby counties as a result of the high winds.[25] More than 24 hours later, almost 555,000 customers still remained without power,[26] and by Wednesday of the following week, when repairs were initially expected to be finished, nearly 60,000 homes, businesses, and schools in the worst hit areas of the city were still without power.[27]
Seven people were confirmed to have died in Greater Houston as a result of the storm;[28] the number of deaths was later revised to eight.[4]
That storm really shook up a lot of people, the first like it in Houston. Can you stay "climate chaos?" Friends were still talking about it four months after it hit. I'm glad we weren't in Houston when it hit, but we finally made the trip this past week. Even this trip was in debt until the day before, when Hurricane Helene spun up in the Gulf of Mexico and traveled eastward into Florida rather than westward into Texas.
The wife got to see her neurologist and we met up with several friends to catch up on things. Not to mention gathering up about 4 dozen bagels from Einstein Bagels and some supplies for the wife's pottery habit. We also took some time to walk through the Menil Collection, which is always free. You just cannot get good bagels in the Rio Grande Valley. I guarantee an Einstein's would be popular in McAllen, but I sure as hell am not going to try to get a franchise. Getting up at 3am every morning to cook bagels? No way! I love to eat them, but I ain't gonna break my neck cooking them.
BTW, if you find yourself in Houston, there are tons of good museums, but we really love the Menil, and if you have time, have a lunch at Bistro Menil, just across from The Menil, and run by a friend of mine, Greg Martin. It's a little pricey but quite excellent.
Menil blurb:
About The Menil Collection
Philanthropists and art patrons John and Dominique de Menil established the Menil Foundation in 1954 to foster greater public understanding and appreciation of art, architecture, culture, religion, and philosophy. In 1987, the Menil Collection’s main building opened to the public.
Today, the museum consists of a group of art buildings and green spaces nestled within a residential neighborhood in central Houston. The Menil remains committed to its founders’ belief that art is essential to human experience and welcomes all visitors free of charge to its buildings and surrounding green spaces.
On a lush campus, visitors are invited to explore the Menil’s main museum building, the Menil Drawing Institute, the Cy Twombly Gallery, Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, and Fresco Building.
...and the Rothko Chapel is only a block away from the Menil, which is weird, but interesting. It is currently closed for repairs.
Finally, a friend took this pic of a butterfly on lantana.
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