The Hottest Stretch of the Summer is Coming This Week
Central Texans should prepare to sweat it out: forecasters say the region is entering its longest and hottest stretch of the summer, with daily highs expected to hit or exceed 100 degrees for the next week or longer.
August has already been a scorcher with either just a trace of rain or none at all in most areas.
More on this week’s extreme heat and the complete forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
The Lake Travis Cavaliers did return to practice Saturday but will not take the field against Waco Midway on Thursday, August 20 as planned. The team announced the scheduled scrimmage has been canceled in the wake of senior offensive lineman Odin Hensley’s death.
Hensley, 17, died Wednesday evening at Dell Children’s Medical Center, five days after suffering cardiac arrest during the team’s first practice of the preseason. He had been airlifted to the hospital by Travis County STAR Flight and remained in critical care until his passing.
Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Curtis Null confirmed the news in a letter to families Thursday, remembering Hensley — a two-sport athlete who also wrestled — as “a kind, determined young man who was a valued teammate, classmate, and friend.”
The Cavaliers are still scheduled to open their regular season August 28 at Dripping Springs, though the program has not ruled out further changes to its preseason plans.
ICE activity reported Saturday morning in the Cameron Road/290 and Dessau and Howard Lane areas.
And again this morning…
Austin City Council adopted a $6.6 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27 on Wednesday, passing it 9-2 alongside a property tax rate increase that will raise the typical homeowner’s bill by more than 8%, with Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Marc Duchen casting the lone no votes.
The move triggers a tax-rate election this November, and reaction across Austin is likely to split sharply: homeowners and affordability-focused residents may bristle at higher property tax bills during a period when many are struggling with affordability, while others will welcome the budget’s added funding for public safety, homelessness services, and emergency response — including the launch of a new joint emergency communications office — as a sign the city prioritized core services over deeper cuts.
Austin ISD is entering the fall with two crises colliding at once.
The district narrowly avoided its worst-case scenario this month when state accountability data showed an overall B rating — an improvement from last year — but that good news was overshadowed by Burnet and Webb middle schools, which each received a fifth consecutive failing accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency, a threshold that triggers a state law directing Education Commissioner Mike Morath to either close the schools or appoint a board of managers to replace the elected school board.
Districts have until September 11 to appeal their grades to the Texas Education Agency, leaving students, parents, educators and local advocates awaiting word on whether the state will move to replace their elected trustees, as it did in Houston in 2023.
The timing could hardly be more consequential: five of the nine seats on the Austin ISD board are up for election on November 3, meaning voters will choose the very trustees whose authority could soon be in question.
The candidate filing window runs from July 20 through August 17, and campaigns for Districts 1, 4, 6, and 7, plus one at-large seat, are shaping up as a referendum on how the district got here — and whether new leadership can keep the state out of Austin’s classrooms.
CapMetro is making service updates that begin today.
The Kerrville Police Department is investigating a shooting which took place Friday night in which an 18-year-old Kerrville woman was shot and wounded.
Guadalupe County Fire Rescue responded to a large hay field fire Saturday.
An accidentally set blaze at Reveille Peak in Burnet County was successfully controlled Saturday.
(Photos: East Lake Buchanan VFD)
Texas firefighters are catching their breath after a punishing week battling wildfires across the state, including a 3,200-acre blaze in Stephens County that crews have now fully contained.
As of today, the Texas A&M Forest Service reports just two fires burning — in Archer and Throckmorton counties — but any relief may be short-lived. Forecasters are calling for even higher temperatures this week with little to no rain in sight, conditions that could quickly spark the next round of fires.
WEATHER
SATURDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERAURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
LAKE TRAVIS TIMELASPE
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
H-E-B is pulling several products from its shelves over concerns that they may contain jalapenos that were contaminated with salmonella. (H-E-B)
An investigation is underway after police say one person was killed and two others were hurt when a shooting broke out after a fight at a large gathering in southeast Houston early this morning. Authorities are still looking for the suspect.
CBS Austin’s John-Carlos Estrada was one of several Central Texas broadcasters laid off in the past week or so. (Houston Chronicle)
The U.S. Senate race is recycling past videos, allegations and even a security clip involving Ken Paxton and a pricey pen. (Austin American-Statesman)
A new Emerson College/Nexstar poll shows Attorney General Ken Paxton holding a narrow one-point lead over State Representative James Talarico in the race for U.S. Senate, well within the margin of error.
Adam Schwager speaks with Talarico to discuss his strategy heading into the final stretch, while we also examine how both campaigns are framing the race and what the latest numbers reveal about key voting blocs.
This month, Governor Greg Abbott raised concerns among voting-rights groups by appointing Nate Schatzline, a two-term Texas House member, to a senior advisory role on “election integrity” policy. Schatzline is a longtime proponent of debunked “Stop the Steal”–style claims: Last year he argued that fraud was central to the theft of the 2020 presidential election and proposed bills that would have further restricted voting access in Texas. (Texas Monthly)
UT Austin wants to change the assigned classes required of future undergraduates. It’s the first such change in more than two decades.
The city of Austin is gathering feedback about the possibility of renaming Cesar Chavez Street after the labor leader was accused of sexual assault. How you can make your voice heard.
Have you ever wondered how clean your favorite Austin restaurant really is? KUT has a new map where you can search for food inspection scores.
(Episode from August 14, 2026)
Most voters will not see their November local ballot until October. But cities, counties, school districts, and special districts are making the real decisions now: what gets ordered onto the ballot by August 17.
(Episode from August 13, 2026)
A talk with New York Times Texas Editor Fernando Alfonso III about his reporting on the controversial Flock cameras that are in every state except Alaska.
City officials and residents in Pflugerville are expressing concerns about Flock cameras.
AAA GAS PRICES
SPORTS
MLS: After hosting three Phase One matches of Leagues Cup 2026 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the competition, Austin FC will host in-state rivals FC Dallas tonight at Q2 Stadium as the team resumes MLS regular season play. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT. (Austin FC)
NFL PRESEASON: Rookie Camden Brown had two touchdown catches, including a diving, one-handed snag, to help lead the Dallas Cowboys past the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 17-7 on Saturday night in the preseason opener for both teams. (Associated Press)
PRESEASON GAME 2
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22
MLB: The Texas Rangers pulled within striking distance of first place in the AL West on Saturday night, knocking off the Athletics 5-3 in Oakland while the division-leading Houston Astros were stunned at home, falling 10-5 to the Seattle Mariners. The split results trimmed Houston’s division lead over Texas to just two games, with the Astros sitting at 63-61 and the Rangers climbing to 61-63. With Seattle also lurking at 58-66, the AL West remains one of baseball’s tightest races as the stretch run heats up.
Wyatt Langford hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 5-3 on Saturday night to end a four-game losing streak.
Corey Seager, Nicky Lopez, and Jarred Kelenic each drove in a run in the Rangers’ 22nd comeback victory of the season.
Mackenzie Gore (7-9) threw 5 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits. (Associated Press via KHOU-TV)
Cole Young homered and tied a career high with four RBIs to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 10-5 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Astros | 63 | 61 |
| 2 | Texas Rangers | 61 | 63 |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | 58 | 66 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Angels | 49 | 75 |
| 5 | Athletics | 48 | 75 |
The Astros are holding on to the top spot, but it’s a tight race between Houston and Texas, with just 2 games separating them.
20 DAYS UNTIL TEXAS FOOTBALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Texas football held its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, albeit without many players who missed the game dealing with the flu.
He’s a Texas native and a movie star, but Matthew McConaughey has deep roots with music. He opens up to Rolling Stone about the ten songs that have soundtracked the Oscar-winning actor’s life. He also reveals how he uses music to prepare for acting, dating back to his role in Dazed and Confused with director Richard Linklater.
