Richard Carson / Reuters

Kayakers and paddle boarders watch as the Space Shuttle replica "Explorer" moves under a highway bridge into Clear Lake toward the dock at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday.

Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle via AP

A full-size replica of the space shuttle passes the Kemah Boardwalk on Friday.

Space shuttle replica Explorer had to leave Kennedy Space Center in Florida to make way for the recently decommissioned space shuttle orbiter Atlantis. According to the full story, the 130,000-pound replica will be displayed at the Johnson Space Center:

Once the space shuttle mockup is in place outside Space Center Houston, the visitor center will open its parking lot for a free, family-friendly display of space-related exhibits and activities. Guests will also have the opportunity to view the space shuttle mockup at its new home. 

The replica will eventually become the star attraction of an educational exhibition themed around the retired space shuttle program. Designed for outdoor display, the mockup is fully detailed inside and out. Once an access ramp is erected later this year, Space Center Houston visitors will be able to walk through the orbiter to look inside the crew compartment and payload bay.

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Smiley N. Pool / AP

Crowds line the Kemah Boardwalk to watch as a full-size replica of the space shuttle passes on Friday.

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Mike Brown / The Commercial Appeal via AP

Marchers parade down Second Street during the annual Martin Luther King Day parade through downtown Memphis, Tenn. Monday, Jan. 16.

Takaaki Iwabu / The News & Observer via AP

Andrew Boudreaux, 10, leads the procession of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial March in Raleigh, N.C., Jan. 16.

Ben Earp / The Star via AP

Participants make their way along a sidewalk during the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March in Shelby, N.C.

Nick de la Torre / /Houston Chronicle AP

Candi Flora, a historian wearing actual irons from the days of slavery, raises her arms during the 34th Annual "Original" Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Parade and Celebration in Houston.

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

Occupy Wall Street members march during a candlelight vigil to honor Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in New York.

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Richard Carson / Reuters

This vehicle was among the dozens stranded in high water across Houston on Monday.

Torrential rain, flooding that cut off highways and even suspected tornadoes gave the Houston area major weather headaches on Monday.

The Mall of the Mainland in Texas City had to close after damage from a suspected twister Monday afternoon. It was unclear if there were any injuries.

"The structural integrity of the building has been compromised," Texas City Fire Chief Joe Gorman was quoted by the Houston Chronicle as saying.

Several homes closer to Houston were damaged by another suspected twister.

"All the doors in the house were trying to open and shut. It sounded like a train going through, so we hid in the closet," Beverly Moore was quoted by KPRC TV as saying. "It was definitely a tornado. We hid for about 15 minutes."

Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle via AP

This intersection in Houston, at Buffalo Speedway and Richmond Avenue, saw plenty of heavy rain Monday.

The deluge from the system closed down a stretch of Texas State Highway 288 for most of the day. A dozen other freeway intersections in the Houston area also saw flooding and rainfall of more than four inches in just a few hours.

"Between 9 a.m. and about noon today the Houston police department had 51 active flood locations with flooding reports and that’s all over the city in city streets,” the Chronicle quoted city spokesman Michael Walter as saying.

The suburb of Sugar Land got more than six inches of rain.

The storm cut power to nearly 20,000 utility customers at its peak, and officials reported numerous water rescues of people stranded in homes or cars.

Houston, like most of Texas, has seen drought conditions for most of the last year and Monday's storm isn't expect to help much on its own. Any sustained recovery will require a long stretch of rain, forecasters say.

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From the Houston Chronicle:

“In its glory days it was an impressive building, but it was time for it to come down,” said Sarah Watson, a spokeswoman for MD Anderson.

The aging foundation made the building costly to maintain. The structure was also sinking and had asbestos, officials said.

Houston Chronicle story and video: Prudential Building in Houston destroyed in 17 seconds

Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle via AP

MD Anderson's Houston Main Building is imploded Jan. 8, in Houston, Texas. Opened in 1952, the 20-story building was the regional headquarters for Prudential Insurance Company. Prudential sold the building in 1975.