Severe thunderstorms swept through Central Texas Tuesday night, leaving downed trees, power outages and damage across parts of the Austin area as powerful winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning pushed through the region. In Georgetown, Chalmer Williams took shelter at a gas station as the storm bore down, and by the time it passed, the roof had started to come off.

Williams said the cashier was trying to signal people to come inside. “Luckily, she lets me in, and in my mind I’m thinking ‘man, maybe this isn’t just a thunderstorm,’” he said. “Especially when the roof of the gas station started to come off, I’m like ‘man, maybe I’m in the middle of a tornado and don’t even know it,’” he added.

The storm’s damage was not limited to Georgetown. A man was critically injured after a tree fell on him outside Green Mesquite BBQ off Barton Springs Road in Austin, and the restaurant was closed on Wednesday. More than 5,400 Austin Energy customers lost power at one point, though most had their electricity restored by Wednesday. On Berry Creek Drive, the ground under part of the roadway was washed away, underscoring how quickly the storm left behind damage in more than one corner of the region.

Troy Kimmel said the storm moved into the Austin area and the I-35 corridor right at 9 o’clock, matching the timing forecasters had expected. He said straight-line winds can do more damage than people realize because they spread out, bringing down trees, utilities and power lines over a wider area. The storms were strong but fairly well predicted, and meteorologists are urging Central Texans to stay weather aware with more rain chances in the forecast this week.

For Williams, the night turned into a reminder that a fast-moving storm can change the next few minutes before anyone has time to react. “There’s going to be hardships, and sometimes we just want to fight through it like I was on I-35,” he said. “The best answer is to seek refuge, to seek safety, to seek comfort, and then when it’s time, get back out there and fight.”