News out of Texas

At least one tornado touched down in Texas on Nov. 24, leaving behind a path of destruction with damage to over 100 homes and fallen trees, officials said.

The tornado went through parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, the afternoon of Nov. 24, the National Weather Service office serving Houston and Galveston said. Its intensity has not yet been rated, and survey teams will head to the site on Nov. 25, the weather service said. A second unconfirmed tornado on the same day is also being investigated after moving over parts of Austin and Waller counties.

The dozens of damaged homes are in the Memorial Northwest neighborhood, Constable of Harris County Precinct 4 Mark Herman said in a post to social media. On Nov. 24, first responders were searching the debris for any signs of injured or trapped residents, he said.

“Our priority is the safety of our residents,” Herman said. “We are using every resource available to locate the injured, secure the area, and support our community through this emergency.”

Authorities hadn't reported any injuries as of early Nov. 25.

Photos shared by county officials show trees fallen on homes and roadways, parts of roofs ripped away and debris scattered about the Memorial Northwest area. A fire broke out after a tree fell onto power lines and was quickly addressed by first responders, Herman said.

The administrative campus for Harris County Emergency Services District 11 was in the path of the storm, with photos showing downed trees and a building with severe damage. All staff were accounted for and safe, officials said in a post.

"Today our district was hit hard by the tornado. Thankful there were no reports of injuries," said Steve Wilson, Harris County Sheriff's Office patrol captain for District 1, adding that there was a "long road" ahead for people whose homes were damaged.

Forecasters warn of storms during peak Thanksgiving travel

The tornado reports in southeast Texas come as forecasters have warned that a storm system moving across the country could have widespread impacts as a record number of Americans are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.

A record-setting 82 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home for the holiday, according to AAA.

While heavy rain and severe thunderstorms were expected from Texas and Louisiana to the upper Mississippi Valley on Nov. 24, a separate storm will bring heavy snow to the northern tier of the country through midweek, AccuWeather meteorologists said. Later in the week, the rain and storms will spread eastward.

On Nov. 26, the peak travel day for the holiday, showers in the East may cause flight delays, while heavy snow will spread from the western Great Lakes snowbelts (northern and western Michigan, northern Wisconsin) into the eastern lake snowbelts (northern and western Michigan, northern Wisconsin), forecasters have said.

Severe weather threat has passed for southeast Texas

Forecasters in southeast Texas said the threat for severe storms has passed to the east by the morning of Nov. 25.

Dense fog is expected the morning of Nov. 25, but on the heels of the tornado reports, cooler and drier air is expected with temperatures in the low 70s to low 80s. No more rain is expected for the rest of the week, making for a dry Thanksgiving, the weather service there said.

Contributing: Doyle Rice

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tornado rips through Houston area, damaging dozens of homes

Reporting by Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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