Austin weather: Power outages affect thousands as more ice hits - Austin American-Statesman

1 year ago 51

Austin braces for its 2nd time of the wintertime storm, with much crystal expected than previously. Causing roadworthy conditions to worsen and thousands to suffer powerfulness aboriginal Wednesday morning.

Editor's note: We've made this communicative escaped arsenic a nationalist information assets for our community. But we request the enactment of subscribers to support doing this work. Here's however you tin subscribe.

Forecasters expect much important crystal accumulation contiguous passim the Austin metro portion and the Hill Country, causing already unsafe roads to go adjacent much treacherous.

Thousands of Austinites lost powerfulness aboriginal Wednesday morning, arsenic a effect of the crystal causing assorted problems, specified arsenic histrion limbs falling connected powerfulness lines. The fig of customers without powerfulness continues to rise, with implicit 100,000 reported by Austin Energy arsenic of 7:40 a.m.

Austin Fire said they've responded to implicit 75 calls related to arcing wires and that aggregate stations person besides mislaid power.

Here's what we cognize astir roadworthy conditions, today's forecast and powerfulness outages:

Winter tempest informing for Austin:Here's what you request to interest about

Austin Energy says powerfulness volition beryllium restored 'quickly'

Austin Energy spokesperson Matt Mitchell said crews are dispatched and moving to reconstruct powerfulness arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. He added that each outage is unique, and immoderate repairs volition instrumentality longer than others, particularly arsenic treacherous roadworthy conditions marque it harder to navigate the city. Temperatures could get supra freezing for a fewer hours Wednesday afternoon, which helium said volition assistance crews get outages fixed faster.

The inferior institution tweeted that outages are wide and immoderate customers could spot outages for 12 to 24 hours.

Ice tin origin histrion limbs and different vegetation to freeze, drawback and autumn connected powerfulness lines, resulting successful wide outages.

If you bash suffer power, travel this proposal from Mitchell: don't panic, enactment inside, support each windows and doors closed, unplug large appliances and heaters, furniture up, drawback immoderate blankets and hold for the powerfulness to beryllium restored.

In addition, bash not usage stoves, ovens oregon portable grills to vigor your home, arsenic it tin origin c monoxide poisoning that tin effect successful hospitalization oregon death. If you person a generator, beryllium definite it's successful a well-ventilated country earlier utilizing it.

More:What you tin bash to enactment safe, lukewarm during an outage

While galore successful the portion whitethorn beryllium having flashbacks to Winter Storm Uri which caused monolithic powerfulness outages for days, this tempest is not predicted to beryllium that bad, and Mitchell said powerfulness volition beryllium restored arsenic the upwind warms implicit the adjacent 24 hours.

"We arsenic inferior recognize those memories are inactive precise fresh," Mitchell said. "This is not that. Our crews are successful place, we are executing a plan, and we volition safely and rapidly reconstruct power."

Power outages crossed Central Texas

Austin Energy reports ample numbers of power outages affecting up to 80,000 customers astatine 1 constituent aboriginal Wednesday morning. The institution tweeted that the utmost weather, chiefly the ice, is starring to powerfulness outages and that crews are dispatched and moving to get the powerfulness backmost on.

Thousands of Pedernales Electric Cooperative customers successful Central Texas and the Hill Country are also without power.

8:45 a.m.: Oncor reports 16,127 customers successful Williamson County, 6,446 successful Travis County and 1,054 successful Bastrop County are without power.

8:10 a.m.: 125,000 customers are without power, arsenic 422 progressive outages origin astir 24% of Austin Energy customers to suffer power. Meanwhile, astir 3,100 Pedernales customers successful Williamson and occidental Travis County are without power.

7:40 a.m.: 21% of Austin Energy customers are without powerfulness arsenic a effect of 367 outages, affecting implicit 113,000. Nearly 11,000 Pedernales customers and implicit 240,000 crossed the authorities are besides without power.

6:36 a.m.: 294 progressive outages resulting successful astir 85,000 Austin Energy customers to beryllium without power. Across the region, implicit 6,000 Pedernales customers are without power, portion 197,000 successful the authorities don't person power.

6:00 a.m.: The fig of Austin Energy customers without powerfulness continues to increase, arsenic 204 outages are causing astir 67,000 customers to beryllium without power.

5:50 a.m.: Across Texas, astir 161,500 customers are without power.

5:43 a.m.: Over 56,000 Austin Energy customers are without powerfulness owed to astir 190 outages crossed the portion affecting 89% of customers.

5:43 a.m.: Nearly 2,900 Pedernales customers from Round Rock to Kyle to San Marcos to Dripping Springs are without power.

Weather tips:Here's however to enactment retired of the exigency country during this wintertime storm

Austin's Wednesday forecast

The Austin metro country and neighboring Hill Country volition spot a heavier circular of freezing rainfall and crystal starting Wednesday greeting and moving passim the time into aboriginal Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

While Austin could spot temperatures get up to 33 degrees for a fewer hours successful the afternoon, the upwind chill volition origin it to really consciousness similar it's successful the mid-20s.

The Austin portion could spot anyplace an further 0.1 to 0.25 inches of crystal Wednesday. There is simply a accidental the crystal could crook to rainfall during the day moving into the evening, however, forecasters expect the freezing rainfall volition proceed again during the evening and into aboriginal Thursday morning.

Freezing rainfall is predicted to extremity by astir 3 a.m. Thursday, turning to a acold rainfall that volition past up until astir noon connected Thursday. Temperatures are expected to enactment successful the 30s Thursday greeting and volition apt emergence into the 40s by the afternoon.

Road conditions crossed Austin

Officials proceed to discourage drivers from hitting the roads unless perfectly necessary, arsenic roadworthy conditions volition stay treacherous Wednesday.

The Texas Department of Transportation's road conditions representation shows that each large highways person crystal reported connected them. TxDot officials said crews are moving to wide roadways, but that conditions are inactive unsafe and radical should enactment disconnected the roads.

City officials impulse residents to enactment disconnected the roads. Austin archetypal responders were called to astir 300 postulation collisions arsenic a effect of the crystal connected Tuesday and dozens of falls.

6:27 a.m.: All lanes are blocked astatine the 183A toll and SH-45 toll.

Weather updates:Winter upwind cancellations, closures, delays successful Austin area