HOUSTON -- Strong storms moved through the Houston area Monday morning, downing power lines, dropping small hail, damaging fences and even sparking a house fire.
The first round of storms came through from the west at about 5 a.m.
Viewers in the Katy and Cypress area reported gusty winds damaged some fences, but no significant damage was reported. Heavy rain turned into hail in some areas, and nearly everyone got a lightning show.
The lightning sparked a house fire in the Greenwood Forest neighborhood in northeast Houston.
Patricia Tarney says she was up watching KHOU 11 just before 6 a.m. when her house shook.
“It felt like a big boom you know, that's all you can say just a real big boom,” said Tarney. “Kind of sad, kind of sad, you know? It's just one of those things there's nothing you can do you couldn't prepare yourself for it.”
Luckily everyone was able to get out of Tarney’s home, including two dogs. She says she does have insurance.
As of 10:30 a.m., firefighters in Conroe were battling a two-alarm fire at the Saltgrass Steak House on I-45, although the cause of the fire was not immediately determined.
PHOTOS: Viewer photos of Jan. 2 storms
And that was just the first round of storms – as a second system moved in after sunrise. Heavy winds, and pouring rains downed power on a stretch of Veterans Memorial. And a few roads had high water.
Just as quickly as the storms moved in, they moved out. By 10:15 a.m. area thunderstorm warnings had expired as the storms moved off to the east and into the Beaumont area.