The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said this month might break a record for May power demand, with 84,000 megawatts expected to be used Wednesday.
After a record-breaking day yesterday, the heat manages to crank up just a bit higher today with regional high temperatures expected to be in the 105-107 degree range.
The City of Austin will again today have local cooling centers available.
In a press conference Tuesday, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County officials reminded residents about the dangers posed by high temperatures.
SPORTS note: Tonight’s Austin FC match against Atlanta United FC has been moved up to 8:00 p.m. due to the extreme heat.
A closer look at today’s record-shattering heat and the extended forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
Firefighters worked on Tuesday to contain the Reverse Fire, a wildfire that had consumed an estimated 75 acres west of Fredericksburg in Gillespie County. A press release indicated that the fire was 45% contained by Tuesday evening.
A later update from the Texas A&M Forest Service last night has the blaze as being 55% contained.
Caldwell County officials have instituted a burn ban.
For the first time since 2005, the Austin Police Department announced on Tuesday that they solved all 75 homicides that occurred in the city in 2023, making one or more arrests in every case. APD has consistently maintained a high clearance rate, achieving at least 90% since 2015.
The final homicide case of 2023 to be cleared involved an arrest in the October 2023 homicide of a man at a Southeast Austin apartment complex. The suspect has a significant robbery history and was out on deferred adjudication at the time of the murder. (Fox7 Austin)
Austin police released more information concerning Sunday’s fatal car accident that killed an off-duty Killeen police officer.
Taylor was leaving a local hospital after the birth of his child when the accident occurred.
Police in Elgin made a discovery during a traffic stop Tuesday.
Hays County officials released information about a barricade situation early Sunday that required the SWAT team.
A woman’s ex-son-in-law is behind bars for her murder, according to Travis County officials.
Authorities in Kyle are searching for a missing teen.
Three people died in a crash Saturday in Bastrop County.
Austin firefighters responded to several calls Tuesday.
New fire trucks for the AFD have been delayed due to a nationwide backlog of production. City officials are also concerned about the skyrocketing cost of the trucks.
Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office announced on Tuesday the availability of funding for local service organizations that run programs supporting families experiencing homelessness. This funding comes from the $300,000 budgeted by the Austin City Council last year to specifically aid unhoused parents and children. (Austin American-Statesman)
The Austin Independent School District says it will consolidate schools starting in the 2026-27 school year to avoid deeper budget cuts.
The district detailed plans in an online news release.
Tensions were high at Webb Middle School Monday night as the community gathered to discuss the district’s “Restarting the District” plan, a proposal aimed at improving struggling schools like Webb.
The Texas Education Agency says the number of complaints against teachers doubled from 2019 to 2023.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told lawmakers in February that there were more than 12,500 misconduct matters against educators in 2023. (CBS Austin)
Heads up, Belterra residents! The Hays County Drone Team is scheduled for training flights on Thursday night, May 15th. You might spot drones flying over the neighborhood, specifically near US 290 between Nutty Brown Road and Sawyer Ranch Road, from early evening until 10 p.m. on both nights. (Fox7 Austin)
With an active mosquito season anticipated, Austin Public Health is reminding everyone about the potential for mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile virus. As a proactive measure, their mosquito surveillance and testing program kicked off last week and will continue through November, helping to monitor and address any increased risk. (Austin American-Statesman)
Even with the economic climate facing tariff changes and uncertainty, Austin metro saw wage growth. However, new data reveals that while 91 of the 100 largest metro areas experienced average year-over-year weekly wage increases by the end of the first quarter, Austin’s growth didn’t reach the levels seen in some other Texas markets. (Austin Business Journal)
New changes are coming for Austin’s scooters, mostly to device standards and safety and rules around where devices can be used and parked. (Austin Monitor)
New data obtained by KUT News indicates that Austin’s highway traffic has increased since state employees were directed to return to full-time office work on March 31st. Interestingly, despite this rise in traffic volume on Interstate 35, MoPac, and U.S. Highway 183, average travel speeds during the morning and afternoon rush hours have remained relatively consistent. (KUT 90.5)
Hundreds of Austinites were without phone, TV or internet service yesterday during a Spectrum service outage.
It’s not the first time Spectrum has grappled with outages, after services went dark across Texas last July. (My San Antonio)
Iconic music store Waterloo Records is moving to a new location further up North Lamar Boulevard. Its infamous sign was taken down Monday.
Austin’s popularity is soaring. According to WalletHub, Austin is one of the best spots to travel to this summer.
Austinites will soon have an easier way to access a congested part of Zilker Park and Barton Springs every weekend just in time for summer.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Texas health officials reported Tuesday that the statewide outbreak of measles has now spread to 32 counties yet the overall rate of new cases seems to be slowing.
The former director of the Centers for Disease Control is sounding the alarm about falling vaccination rates.
With the Texas Legislature’s 140-day session nearing its end – less than three weeks remain – Governor Greg Abbott has achieved a significant victory with the passage of his priority school voucher program. However, many other key issues still need to be addressed before the session concludes. (Texas Tribune)
Several Texas House members appear to have a new vote strategy—using extend-o-sticks to reach the buttons to indicate their approval or disapproval of the legislation at hand. (Houston Chronicle)
An arrest made by Tyler Police Department officers has gone viral on social media.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 422 illegal aliens in the Houston area as part of a targeted enforcement operation aimed at aliens with serious criminal histories.
A UTSA professor explains vote harvesting, a charge six suspects, including Pearsall city council members and the Frio County Judge, are facing in Frio County.
SPORTS
MLS: Austin FC has moved its game against Atlanta United tonight back 30 minutes because of extreme heat.
The game set for 7:30 p.m. will now happen at 8 p.m. (Austin FC)
NHL PLAYOFFS: Mikael Granlund had his first career playoff hat trick, Jake Oettinger stopped 31shots and the Dallas Stars beat Winnipeg 3-1 on Tuesday night, taking a 3-1 series lead over the top-seeded Jets in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. (Yahoo! Sports)
Game 5 is tomorrow night in Winnipeg. The Stars can win the series with a victory.
MLB: The Texas Rangers finally have a winning streak going.
Josh Jung hit a first-inning three-run home run and an eighth-inning solo shot while Jack Leiter allowed only one run on two singles over a career-high six innings as the Texas Rangers beat the struggling Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros got a walk-off win Tuesday night.
Isaac Paredes hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the ninth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Both teams play again tonight.
Today we’re traveling to Del Rio to visit the site of one of the most popular tortilla chips in Texas.
