Heavy rain could bring street flooding. There’s also a chance for gusty winds and isolated tornadoes.

HOUSTON — CenterPoint Energy has activated its storm readiness plan as severe weather threatens the Houston area Friday night through Saturday morning, the utility company announced Thursday.

The forecast calls for scattered showers, thunderstorms, heavy rain and lightning across the region, prompting the company to position resources and coordinate with emergency management partners in preparation for potential impacts to electric and natural gas service.

“Our teams are staying alert and ready to respond safely and quickly if severe weather impacts our region,” said Matt Lanza, CenterPoint’s manager of meteorology, in an emailed news release. 

The company’s Emergency Management and Response team is monitoring weather models around the clock and updating response plans as conditions evolve. CenterPoint is also pre-positioning crews across the area to respond to any service interruptions as quickly as possible while providing regular updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

“Keeping our customers informed is a top priority, especially during severe weather,” said Tony Gardner, CenterPoint’s chief customer officer. “If outages occur, our Outage Tracker is the best way to stay updated with real-time information, including estimated restoration times. We’re committed to open communication and working safely and quickly to restore service.”

The utility is urging customers to sign up for Power Alert Service to receive outage updates and restoration times, and to bookmark the company’s Outage Tracker, which is available in English and Spanish. 

Weather Impact Alert | Widespread rain and storms expected Saturday with flooding risk