Parts of Central Texas saw strong storms and even a tornado or two Thursday evening with most of the activity to Austin’s north and west.
Today, however, may be a different story.
Another round of severe storms is likely today and this time Austin will have a better chance of seeing heavy rain, high winds and possible hail with the probability upgraded to a level 3 of 5 “enhanced risk”.
The National Weather Service issued several warnings and watches, including a tornado warning for Williamson, Lampasas, and Burnet counties on Thursday evening.
A tornado was confirmed on the ground in northeast Burnet County, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials in there say one home was destroyed, another damaged and one person was injured on the road with assessments still ongoing.
Tornadic activity last evening in Briggs in Burnet County.
More on the threat of additional severe weather this afternoon and this evening that may actually reach Austin can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
Austin saw its 22nd homicide of the year Thursday evening after a disturbance at a gas station on E. Riverside Drive.
A stolen Ford F-250 led Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on a chase Thursday morning that ended in a crash involving a CapMetro bus and a vehicle and left several people injured.
Austin police are looking to identify and arrest a suspect in a road rage incident from last week.
Two fugitives from justice have been caught.
Protesters marched down Congress Avenue yesterday as part of a May Day protest aimed at various Trump administration actions on a day traditionally celebrating gains made by workers and the labor movement. Hundreds proceeded through downtown from the State Capitol to City Hall in solidarity with other marches held nationwide. (Austin American-Statesman)
Photos: Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
The city has released its point-in-time count report, which is an estimate of the number of unhoused people on a single night in Austin.
Volunteers counted a total of 3,238 people. 1,577 of those were unsheltered, and 1,661 were in shelters.
The numbers are likely an undercount, because it was only from one night. Those without homes who were in jail on the night of the informal census were not counted.
A Leander ISD assistant principal has been arrested for driving while intoxicated. (Fox7 Austin)
A federal lawsuit has been filed by a woman against the city of Cedar Park, alleging that a “culture of indifference” within the police department allowed an officer, who had previously committed other assaults, to sexually assault her. (Austin American-Statesman)
A year after their arrests during pro-Palestine protests on campus, four University of Texas students have filed a lawsuit against the university, its board of regents, former UT president Jay Hartzell, Governor Greg Abbott, and the University of Texas Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. (CBS Austin)
The Taylor City Council has modified some of its agreements with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. after the company announced that the opening of its Taylor semiconductor factory would be delayed until the end of next year, later than initially anticipated. (Austin Business Journal)
Austin’s Pecan Street Festival is this weekend…but not downtown on 6th Street as usual.
Citing a recent “restructuring” on 6th Street that created an “unsustainable financial future” for the event, festival organizers announced in late March that the festival, originally scheduled for this weekend, would now take place at the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave. (KUT 90.5)
WEATHER
Central Texas, particularly north and west of Austin, experienced a bumpy Thursday evening.
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Parts of Oklahoma have picked up as much as 5 inches of rain since Monday, while 1-2 inches have fallen across portions of northern Texas through early Wednesday.
As we head into next week, Central Texas will see a greater chance of much-needed soaking rain. (AccuWeather)
A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League revealed a record number of antisemitic incidents in the Austin area during 2024, marking a 20% increase compared to the previous year. The ADL documented a total of 76 antisemitic incidents in Central Texas, including 55 cases of harassment and 21 other offenses, with 19 of these incidents occurring on college campuses. (Austin American-Statesman)
A group of Texas A&M young conservatives shared hate speech in group texts, according to a former member. (Houston Chronicle)
Several crosses were reportedly rearranged and a cross was damaged and knocked down on Tuesday in Uvalde.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced on Thursday that Texas might receive a substantial $11 billion lump-sum payment from the federal government by July to reimburse the state for its border security expenditures (“Operation Lone Star”) during the Biden administration. (Austin American-Statesman)
Since Donald Trump returned to the office of the White House and immediately enacted staunch border security reforms, Texas has spent $434,000 in taxpayer money toward Governor Greg Abbott’s migrant busing initiative, according to state documents obtained by CBS Austin. (CBS Austin)
A Texas House panel late Wednesday advanced a bill to tighten regulations on Texas” consumable hemp industry, setting up a potential clash with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Senate, who are pursuing a total ban on THC products.
The author of a bill that would ban non-human behavior in Texas public schools struggled to come up with examples of it actually happening when pressed during a committee meeting this week. (Fox7 Austin)
Gov. Greg Abbott will sign school choice legislation on Saturday setting aside $1 billion of taxpayer dollars for parents to pay for private schools. (Fox7 Austin)
How Greg Abbott took a flailing school voucher movement and turned it into a winning issue. (Texas Tribune)
Droughts, floods, hurricanes and more have devastated Texas agriculture. Now, lawmakers are advancing a bill that could bring financial relief to impacted farmers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into the makers of children’s fluoride toothpaste over their marketing.
Paxton sent Civil Investigative Demands, or CIV’s, to Procter & Gamble – who sells Crest – and Colgate-Palmolive – who sells Colgate, claiming that they illegally market their products to children. (KVUE-TV)
Will Saturday’s elections be the last one in May for Texas? The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election. (Texas Tribune)
A federal judge in Texas Thursday ruled that President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to detain and deport Venezuelan immigrants from South Texas was “unlawful.” (Texas Public Radio)
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been tapped by President Trump to chair a religious commission tasked with strengthening and preserving religious liberty in the United States.
The Jack County Sheriff’s Office is taking over law enforcement duties in Jacksboro after the entire police force resigned.
Driverless semi-trucks are now on the road in Texas.
SPORTS
Oof.
COLLEGE BASEBALL: The No. 1 Texas baseball team had its 10-game winning streak snapped by No. 11 Arkansas, falling in the series opener, 9-0, Thursday night at Baum-Walker Stadium. (Texas Longhorns)
The Longhorns will attempt to rebound this evening in Fayetteville.
MLB: The Texas Rangers fell to the .500 mark (16-16) after a 3-0 loss to the A’s Thursday. The Athletics took three-of-four in the series in Arlington. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Houston Astros were off yesterday.
The Rangers host Seattle tonight while the Astros are in Chicago.
NHLPLAYOFFS: The Dallas Stars had an opportunity to clinch the first round of their playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche last night in Denver but, well, like an avalanche, Colorado scored three times late in the final period to win 7-4 and force a decisive Game 7 in Dallas tomorrow night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer was not thrilled with the game’s referees.
NBA PLAYOFFS: The Houston Rockets will try to stave off an upset elimination in the first round of the NBA Playoffs tonight in Game 6 of their series at Golden State. (Yahoo! Sports)
It’s a quickie, but here’s some cool footage of the Congress Avenue Bridge from 1975.
