The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Austin area until 10 p.m
An early thunderstorm warning for Travis, Williamson and Hays counties — as well as a tornado warning for parts of Williamson — has ended.
NWS meteorologist Mack Morris told KUT early Thursday that the main concerns are hail and damaging winds. He called the chance for a tornado “low.”
The showers arrived with a cold front moving into Central Texas around 6 p.m. Flooding is not a concern, Morris said, because the storms move quickly.
Austin Energy is asking residents to prepare for possible outages. It said that the trees may be weaker due to the damage caused by the winter storm last month.
You can sign up for Austin Energy outage alerts here.
As a precaution, Austin ISD has canceled all outdoor activities after school, and Hays CISD said it will end these activities at 6:30 p.m. Round Rock ISD has canceled activities after school Thursday and Friday. For more updates on schedule changes and other districts, check the district website.
The City of Austin said it will keep 20 recreation centers and four public libraries open until 10 p.m. for anyone who needs a safe place to wait out the storm. Find a list of sites here.
Follow the latest updates from the National Weather Service below:
