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A crane sits on top of a cement truck at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was sitting in during the previous night's storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle)

Photo by: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer

Houston's deadly wind storms acted like tornadoes, but were they really twisters?

Here's what we know so far, and what it takes to be a tornado officially.

Downed transmission power lines are shown near Grand Parkway and West Rd. after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress.

Photo by: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photographer

Restoring power to hardest-hit areas of Houston could take 'several days or longer'

Nearly 922,000 customers lost power during the height of outages during Thursday's storm, according to CenterPoint Energy.

Tree service crews climb atop an SUV to cut apart a tree that fell on it at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Sherwood in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area.

Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer

Houston was stunned by a storm with hurricane-strength winds. Tell us your story

What were you doing when the storm hit? How will you rebuild? How did your community come together?

Photo by: Matt Zdun

Map shows road hazards, closures after deadly thunderstorms rip through Houston

Enter your address to search for closed roads, problems with traffic signals and more near you.

Thursday's storms left hundreds of animals injured and displaced, according to the Houston SPCA.

Photo by: Houston SPCA

Nearly 100 animals either displaced or injured after severe storms, says Houston SPCA

Houston SPCA officials expect a surge of animal intakes to last for a few days as cleanup efforts continue.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, left, exchanges words with Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public following Thursday's storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Storm was 'at the peak end of an unlikely scenario to happen,' Hidalgo says

With many residents still in the dark, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo warned it would be "weeks and not days" before power is restored for some.

Broken windows are seen following last night's storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle)

Photo by: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer

Death toll in severe Houston thunderstorm grows to 5

At least five people died as a result of Thursday evening's powerful storm in Houston, according to Mayor John Whitmire's office and the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Everything else you need to know

How gas prices may be affected following Thursday's storm: Oil and gas refineries along the Houston Ship Channel largely came through the storm unscathed. Here's how gas prices may be impacted.
Power out in Houston? Here are ways to stay cool as temps rise: Temperatures are expected to rise to above 90 degrees this weekend, and humidity will make those temperatures feel closer to triple digits.
HISD may have to relocate some campuses for Monday: Houston ISD reported that nearly half of its campuses are without power as of Friday afternoon and dozens have sustained wind and tree damage following severe storms Thursday.
My home was damaged in Houston's storm. Here's how to handle insurance claims. Thousands of Houston residents are facing pricey repairs to fix damage caused by fallen trees, high winds and rain. Here's how to handle insurance.
Houston outage hacks: How to get through the day without power: Here's how to charge a phone, do laundry and other daily activities without electricity.
'That's when it truly got chaotic': Host recounts Astros pregame in storm: Even though they were hosting the Astros pregame show inside Minute Maid Park, Vanessa Richardson and Michael Bourn still get drenched live on air.
What to have in an emergency kit during Houston storms: An emergency kit is an important thing to have prepared for when a major weather event or disaster happens in the Houston area.
Houston severe storms called 'destructive.' What does that mean? The National Weather Service uses words like "destructive" and "considerable" in their alerts to better convey the severity of the thunderstorms.

Notice: You're receiving this as part of the Chronicle's expanded weather coverage, launched in partnership with the San Antonio Express-News. We provide daily forecasts, data-driven explainers on weather events in Houston and a weekly newsletter to help you navigate your daily lives. To read more, click here.