Winds and rain slam Texas

By Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press
Posted: January 26, 2012

HOUSTON - Buckets of rain and powerful winds that apparently spawned several tornadoes swept across Texas on Wednesday, forcing drivers to abandon cars on flooded roads but not dropping enough water to make up for a historic dry spell.

The squall of storms swept from north to south, first pounding Dallas and Fort Worth overnight. As the storms inched south and settled over central Texas and Austin, record amounts of rain - more than five inches in some areas of the capital - drenched areas that just a few months ago battled the most devastating wildfires the state had ever seen.

At least one tornado touched down in northeast Austin, damaging an industrial park and a few homes, but causing no injuries, said Chris Morris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

By midday in Houston, some roads and freeways were flooded, and the Houston Independent School District canceled all afterschool activities.

Despite the damage, the downpour was seen as a blessing in some regions, including Washington County, a rural area northwest of Houston that hasn't seen much rain this year.

"It's really nice to see some of the cows in the county have water after all these months," said Robert Smith, the county's emergency management coordinator. "I think the cows are doing a jig."

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