A historic, record-breaking heat wave with 100-plus degree days stretching into next week begins in earnest today for Central Texas that has meteorologists, forecasters and social media doing double-takes.
A heat advisory goes into effect this afternoon.
A comprehensive look at the forecast for today, this week and the extended outlook can be found further down this page in WEATHER.
ERCOT is expecting nearly record-breaking power demand during the heat wave.
As triple-digit temperatures loom this week, Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office is sharing information about designated cooling centers. City facilities such as parks and recreation centers and public libraries will be open during the day for individuals seeking relief from the heat.
These locations may also extend their operating hours should excessive heat warnings or emergencies be declared.
Cooling center locations in the ATX:
A child was critically injured Monday morning when struck by a vehicle in Bee Cave.
In another incident, a pedestrian was struck downtown late last nght.
A blaze at an abandoned gas station on North Lamar was extinguished last night.
A 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy are facing capital murder charges after a man was shot and killed while trying to recover his stolen car in Del Valle this month.
Authorities are looking for a third suspect.
An El Paso man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teen in Leander. (Fox7 Austin)
San Marcos police apprehended three young individuals, aged 12 and 13, after they were observed breaking into vehicles. (Fox7 Austin)
After a court ruling, Austin police say it won’t cite people for small amounts of marijuana — for now. (Austin Monitor)
City and airport officials on Monday announced the beginning of construction of the Atrium Infill Project at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Monday.
Meanwhile, ABIA officials blame Sunday’s flight delays on staffing shortages.
Austin’s Planning Commision meets this evening at City Hall.
Tesla’s ambitious goal of deploying fully autonomous taxis in Austin by June has triggered a request for safety information from a U.S. agency. (Fox7 Austin)
As the University of Texas continues its search for a permanent dean, David Sosa will step in as the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective June 1. This announcement was made in an email to the university community on Monday by interim Provost David Vanden Bout. (Austin American-Statesman)
H-E-B announced yesterday the debut of its True Texas Tunes concert series, with the first performance scheduled for this Saturday, May 17th. This monthly event will take place at H-E-B’s recently opened two-story store on South Congress Avenue.
Four people are undergoing medical treatment after being attacked by a fox in San Marcos over the weekend, city officials said Monday.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORCAST /AUSTIN, TEXAS
A ‘dynamic’ hurricane season is forecast. Here’s how it could affect Texas’ energy industry. (Texas Standard)
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) publicly demanded the release of Texan David Barnes, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for over four years. 1 This demand follows a letter from recently released Russian prisoner Ksenia Karelina to President Donald Trump, in which she pleaded for the safe return of Barnes and two other American citizens held by Russia. (CBS Austin)
As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Senator John Cornyn gear up for a fight in the 2026 Senate race, their back-and-forth continues to escalate on social media.
A flurry of activity in Austin yesterday…
The Texas House gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would eliminate STAAR, the high-stakes standardized test that the state and school districts use to monitor student learning and teacher performance.
In a last-minute move on Monday, a prominent critic of the Texas Lottery within the Legislature introduced a bill aimed at preventing the agency’s dissolution. However, the proposal includes a significant change, shifting oversight of the Lottery from the current Lottery Commission to a different state agency. (Austin American-Statesman)
The Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 46 by a vote of 118-16 on Monday to expand access to low-THC medical cannabis, moving forward legislation intended to address concerns surrounding the state’s Compassionate Use Program (CUP). Authored by State Representative Ken King (R-Canadian), the bill will now undergo a third reading in the House before being sent to the Texas Senate for further consideration. (KXAN-TV)
On Monday, a Texas House committee approved an amended set of bills that would mandate judges to deny bail for certain criminal defendants. (Texas Tribune)
The Austin Police Department has debuted a new podcast.
A new ranking by U.S. News & World Report analyzed the 50 U.S. states across a variety of categories, including healthcare, education, natural environment, opportunity, economy, crime and corrections, infrastructure, and fiscal stability.
Texas ranked second. (Austin American-Statesman)
To help fund a proposed $1.5 billion downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs, the City of San Antonio is exploring the use of a Project Finance Zone (PFZ), a tax mechanism that allows the city to capture the increase in specific state hotel tax revenues within a three-mile radius and allocate those funds to designated projects.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL: With a 2-2 record last week and a second consecutive Southeastern Conference series loss, Texas fell from its perch at No. 1 in the latest D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings released Monday.
Texas plays at Oklahoma for their final regular season series beginning Thursday.
MLB: Wyatt Langford hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning for Texas to end a no-hit bid by the Colorado Rockies in their first game after manager Bud Black was fired, and the Rangers went on to a 2-1 win Monday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Houston Astros are having a mediocre May so far.
Monday’s loss to Seattle dropped the Astros to a record of 4-5 in May and 20-20 overall. (Yahoo! Sports)
NBA LOTTERY: The Mavericks won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes on Tuesday in unbelievable fashion, overcoming astronomical odds (1.8% chance) and vaulting 10 spots (biggest leap ever) to land the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft.
The San Antonio Spurs have the opportunity to add an incredible complement to Victor Wembanyama with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
San Antonio jumped up into the top four during Monday’s NBA draft lottery. (Sports Illustrated)
NHL PLAYOFFS: The Dallas Stars go into Game 4 at home tonight with a chance for a 3-1 series lead against the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. (Yahoo! Sports)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: FOX says it will broadcast Texas-Ohio State in Week 1 of 2025 season.
Fans do not approve. (KXAN-TV)
Let’s go surfing on South Padre Island.
