Storms Batter Houston, Leaving at Least 7 Dead

Update: The storm in Houston shocked residents and left a landscape of debris.

Seven people were killed after intense thunderstorms swept through Texas on Thursday, bringing heavy rain, destructive winds and dangerous flooding to portions of the state that had already been inundated this month, and leaving nearly a million customers along the Gulf Coast without power on Friday.

The storm blew out windows, caved in the wall of a building and downed power lines across Houston, as powerful winds tore through downtown. Of the people who died, at least two were killed by falling trees, and one was killed in an accident involving a crane that toppled over in strong winds, according to Samuel Peña, the city’s fire chief. On Friday, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Harris County confirmed that three others had died as a result of the severe weather.

The National Weather Service said survey teams had determined that a tornado touched down near Cypress, Texas, just northwest of Houston on Thursday night.

Teams were surveying other areas around Houston, including downtown, to see if the damage there had been caused by a tornado or strong winds, said Hayley Adams, a Weather Service meteorologist in Houston.

As officials began to clean up the damage, Mayor John Whitmire of Houston said at a news conference on Friday morning that investigators were trying to determine whether a fifth death was related to the weather.

Mr. Whitmire said it could take several weeks for power to be restored to some customers.