Tornado warnings plague communities west of Houston as severe weather rolls through area

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As severe storms push through the Houston area, there has been at least one confirmed tornado west of the city, authorities say.

A confirmed tornado touched down near Eagle Lake, just south of Columbus, shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District.

The community has been under a tornado warning since shortly before 12:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Other Houston-area communities are or have been under tornado warnings, including Waller. The severe weather and heavy winds come as parts of the Houston area could see up to 4 inches of rainfall from storms this afternoon, according to NWS.

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The Houston area can experience wind gusts as high as 20 mph, the weather service said. The storms are expected to continue through Saturday morning, dropping an average of  1 to 2 inches of rainfall.

Strong winds, hail and heavy rainfall are the primary threats. Isolated tornadoes are also possible.

Things are expected to clear up after 1 p.m. Saturday. The forecast shows mostly sunny weather on Sunday with a high of 88 degrees.

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Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.