In terms of power outages, Wednesday evening’s severe weather and resulting flooding is being regarded as Austin’s third-worst storm in history following Winter Storm Mara (2021) and Winter Storm Uri (2023).
A long-track microburst developed from a supercell thunderstorm, carving a path of destruction more than 10 miles long, stretching from Hyde Park, through Central Austin, and continuing east past the airport.
The National Weather Service estimated wind speeds exceeded 80 miles per hour in some spots, with a damage path up to 2.5 miles wide.
The Austin Fire Department said it received more than 700 calls during the first hours of Wednesday’s severe weather.
Nine people were rescued after more than two dozen water rescues calls were answered by first responders. One person died after being swept away by flood waters in North Austin. Emergency personnel recovered their body from near 49th Street Thursday morning. The National Weather Service said the deceased had been homeless at the time.
One person remains missing. A total of six people were swept away in high water. Two people were taken to local hospitals.
An adult patient recovered near the intersection of Steck Avenue and the MoPac Boulevard service road died with the person “reportedly submerged for over 20 minutes,” said to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz.
Another rescue took place in the 2100 block of Hancock Drive, where one person was rescued. A second person remains missing, and the operation has shifted from rescue to recovery.
According to Austin Energy, approximately 72,500 customers lost power at the height of the storm and they identified more than a hundred broken utility poles. They have called for mutual aid from neighboring utility companies, with more than 200 crew members on their way to help with repairs and power restoration.
“Because the damage is so substantial, outages and restoration activities are still expected to extend for multiple days. There is currently no estimated time of restoration for outages related to the storm. The utility will provide additional information once there is a more extensive assessment of system damage.” — Austin Energy
As of 5:30 a.m. this morning, nearly 14,000 customers were without power.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson:
City officials held a news conference on Thursday morning to discuss impacts from the storms, recovery efforts and preparing for future storms.
A registered sex offender that escaped custody from an Austin facility has been captured in Grimes County.
Austin Police have arrested a second 17-year-old male in connection with the March murder of InfoWars reporter Jamie White. This brings the total number of individuals charged in White’s death to two 17-year-olds, with two other juvenile suspects also reportedly involved.
The four suspects are 17-year-old Eloy Adrian Camarillo, who was arrested on April 30; a 15-year-old male arrested on May 5; another 15-year-old male arrested on May 20; and 17-year-old Rodney Charles Hill, who was arrested on May 27. All of the suspects are from Austin
White was discovered in the Chandelier Apartments parking lot on Douglas Street after a shooting was reported just before midnight on Sunday, March 9. (CBS Austin)
A Covington Middle School eighth-grader, Vadir Gonzalez-Arias, died Thursday morning from complications following an incident at an eighth-grade celebration on Wednesday, Principal Cedric Maddox announced to the school community.
Austin police arrested a 19-year-old on multiple charges related to creating and distributing AI-generated sexually explicit images of minors. (CBS Austin)
The City of Austin has paid nearly $30 million to settle lawsuits over police conduct during the May 2020 protests following George Floyd’s murder, with most settlements related to injuries from lead-pellet bags fired by police at demonstrators outside department headquarters. (Austin Monitor)
Crews with the Austin Fire Department executed a vehicle rescue in North Austin Thursday night in the 6700 block of N MoPac Expressway. (KVUE-TV)
A house fire late Thursday night caused damage but no injuries.
Police and fire crews were busy early this morning…
Austin police are holding a public safety fair tomorrow.
On Tuesday, the Pflugerville City Council voted to incorporate an updated master mobility plan into its 2040 comprehensive city plan, emphasizing alternative transportation such as electric bikes and walking. (Austin American-Statesman)
Tesla has inked a nearly 300,000-square-foot lease for an expansion of its Gigafactory complex in Austin. (Austin Business Journal)
Some of the biggest names in television are in Austin this weekend.
WEATHER
Early morning thunderstorms pushed through the ATX but will leave behind a partly cloudy and humid day today with highs in the mid 80s.
The lower levels of Interstate 35 in San Antonio were closed early this morning after storms prompted a surge of high water.
Two people in the San Antonio area were rescued from high water this morning.
The first tropical depression of 2025 formed over the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and has become Tropical Storm Alvin. The tropical storm will threaten land in western Mexico with wind, rain and pounding surf.
Civil liberties groups, including the ACLU of Texas, plan to sue the state over Senate Bill 10, which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. (Fox7 Austin)
A new bill has passed through both sides of the Texas legislature, aiming to increase options for student discipline in state schools.
Gov. Greg Abbott says he plans to sign the bill into law once it reaches his desk, calling the proposal “common sense”. (CBS News via MSN)
With only three days remaining before the deadline, the House has passed a negotiated version of a bill that would prohibit individuals linked to the governments of China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran from buying land in the state of Texas. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval before reaching the governor’s desk. (Texas Tribune)
Texas’ $8.5 billion school funding plan is headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk. What it means for students and teachers. (KUT 90.5)
The Texas House and Senate are set to reconcile differences over a bill that would limit campus protests.
Senate Bill 2972, which passed the House in a final 97-39 vote on Wednesday, would grant university system governing boards the authority to designate where protests are allowed on college campuses. (Texas Tribune)
Education funding, the effort to ban THC and how conservative priorities are sailing through the legislative session in Texas this year.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas is calling his primary fight against Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate a “test of character”. (New York Times)
Oil giant Chevron is laying off almost 800 workers in the Permian Basin, according to a notice to the Texas Workforce Commission. (Houston Chronicle)
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has released the results of a one-day, multi-state traffic enforcement operation aimed at promoting compliance with the Move Over, Slow Down law. Conducted on May 14, the initiative covered five states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Over the course of 12 hours, officers conducted more than 7,687 vehicle stops, citing 1,326 drivers for violations of the Move Over, Slow Down law. Of those, 1,013 received warnings, while 580 were issued citations, according to a DPS press release. The operation also led to enforcement actions on various other infractions, including 642 speeding violations, 79 seatbelt citations, and 33 warrants served. Additionally, officers provided 114 motorist assists and made seven criminal apprehensions. (My Texas Daily)
A Texan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
SPORTS
NHL PLAYOFFS: The Dallas Stars’ season came to an end last night.
The Edmonton Oilers beat Dallas 6-3 in Game 5 to set up a Stanley Cup Final rematch with defending champion Florida.
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Texas baseball in ON for today after the center field fence at UFCU Disch-Falk Field fell after those strong storms blew through Austin on Wednesday.
Texas welcomes No. 2 seed UTSA, No. 3 seed Kansas State and No. 4 seed Houston Christian.
Today at 1:00 p.m. the Longhorns face Houston Christian. (Texas Longhorns)
MLB: A beatdown for the Houston Astros at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays last night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Astros resume the series tonight while the Texas Rangers (off Thursday) begin a weekend series against the St Louis Cardinals.
There are a nice variety of historic hotels in the Gulf Coast Region of Texas. From hotels along the beach, to small and charming with a country flavor, or a downtown urban experience, there’s something for everyone.
