Central Texas Weather: Cold Weather, Road Closures Continue

AUSTIN, TX — Snow and ice on continued to fall in Austin on Thursday, continuing dangerous conditions that have impacted travel and left millions without power across the state throughout the week.

The National Weather Service on Thursday issued both a Winter Weather Advisory and a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the region, discouraging travel and warning of "very difficult driving conditions."

Snow and ice will continue to fall across the Central Texas and Hill Country region until around 6 p.m. on Thursday, according to the NWS. Snow accumulations of up to 1 inch are possible, and a light glaze of ice possible on surfaces, including roadways.

Accumulations between 3 and 6 inches are possible in the greater Rio Grande Plains, Southern Edwards Plateau, Hill Country and San Antonio metro area, according to the NWS.

Winter weather is expected to taper off in the afternoon as temperatures climb to a high of 32 degrees during the day on Thursday. The NWS estimates temperatures will drop overnight to an estimated low around 17 degrees.

Friday will bring with it a high near 39 degrees and a calm northwest wind, and temperatures will climb to around 50 degrees on Saturday.

By next Wednesday, temperatures as high as 70 degrees are possible, according to the NWS.

Overnight, the City of Austin issued a boil water notice to residents of the entire city. According to a tweet from the city, a power outage at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant brought water pressure below minimum standards.

Residents are asked to boil any tap water they plan to drink, cook or make ice with. According to the notice, water should be kept at a vigorous rolling boil for two minutes before drinking.

The city said it will issue another notice when municipal water is again safe to drink.

Ahead of Thursday's round of winter weather, Austin Energy said it had brought approximately 139,000 customers' power back online overnight.

The power provider said it will continue restoring power to various sections of the city as its system allows, but areas impacted by fallen trees and downed power lines will not be repaired until equipment can be sent to remove debris and repair power lines.

"Just like we shut down power in sections, we will restore power in sections. We’ve been doing so since Wednesday," Austin Energy said on Twitter.

Drivetexas.org, a website showing road closures in real time, indicates that roads like US 183 are expected to remain closed until Friday afternoon or evening.

State Highway 45, State Highway 71 and US Highway 290 are all expected to remain closed in both directions until late Friday.

Below is the detailed forecast from the National Weather Service for Austin:

Thursday: A chance of snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 9am, then a chance of snow between 9am and 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 32. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 17. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 39. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Calm wind.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 59. South wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Below is the detailed forecast from the National Weather Service for Williamson County:

Thursday: A slight chance of snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 10am, then a slight chance of snow between 10am and 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 31. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 15. North northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 37. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. South wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 48. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.