HOUSTON, Texas — CenterPoint Energy says it is preparing crews and equipment for another round of storms across the Greater Houston area after severe weather knocked out power to thousands of customers earlier this week.
The utility said about 133,000 customers were impacted after thunderstorms moved through its service territory Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon, CenterPoint said essentially all customers who could safely receive power had been restored, with only about 180 customers still without power from the overnight storms as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The storms hit as Southeast Texas moved into a wet and unsettled weather pattern ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
CenterPoint said its Emergency Operations Center would remain in an elevated state of readiness as additional severe weather remained possible through the holiday weekend. The company said crews had been pre-positioned, weather conditions were being monitored around the clock and updates were being shared with local officials and emergency management partners.
The renewed storm threat comes after heavy rain and strong winds caused scattered outages across the region. Readers.id reported that CenterPoint had shifted from restoration work to storm readiness as meteorologists warned of more thunderstorms and localized flooding through Monday, May 25.
For Gulf Coast residents, the message is simple: more rain could mean more outages.
A flood watch was issued for multiple counties south of Houston, including Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Matagorda, Wharton and Jackson counties, after some areas picked up several inches of rain earlier in the week. Additional rainfall was expected through the holiday weekend.
CenterPoint said more than 95% of its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area did not lose electric service during the Tuesday night and Wednesday morning storms. For customers who did lose power, the company reported an average restoration time of about 170 minutes per outage.
Still, utility officials warned residents to stay prepared as more storms move through the area.
CenterPoint’s Action Center advises customers to use the company’s outage map, report outages online or by phone and sign up for Power Alert Service to receive outage and restoration updates. The company also reminds residents to stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and call 911 and 713-207-2222 if they see one.
The wet pattern also raises concerns beyond power outages.
Repeated rounds of rain can quickly overwhelm low-lying roads, drainage systems and flood-prone neighborhoods. Drivers are urged to avoid flooded roads and never attempt to drive through high water.
The storm readiness comes as CenterPoint continues to face scrutiny from past major outages in the Houston area, including those caused by severe storms and hurricanes. Utility leaders have said grid improvements and faster restoration remain priorities, but storms can still bring down trees, damage equipment and interrupt service.
As Memorial Day weekend continues, residents across the Greater Houston area and the upper Texas Gulf Coast are encouraged to keep phones charged, monitor local weather alerts, know where flashlights and backup batteries are located and report outages through official CenterPoint channels.
CenterPoint said it will continue monitoring conditions and responding to outages as needed.
For residents in Brazoria County and surrounding Gulf Coast communities, the next several days could bring a familiar mix of heavy rain, lightning, flooded roads and scattered power issues — making preparation important before storms arrive.
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