Post-Holiday Rain Yields Hazardous Driving Conditions: Austin EMS

AUSTIN, TX — Strong to severe storms through Friday evening — with possible hail and damaging wind gusts — will make for potentially hazardous driving conditions the day after Thanksgiving, officials warned.

Austin-Travis County EMS medics warned travelers to take extra precautions negotiating roadways during post-Thanksgiving travel. The National Weather Service earlier forecasts rain chances strengthening overnight after a sunny Thanksgiving Day.

Forecasters correctly predicted temperatures in the high 70s on Thanksgiving Day amid light and variable winds. After that idyllic Thanksgiving tableau, however, meteorologists said the chances of rain would begin to increase Thursday night, with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms expected after 3 a.m.

Indeed, residents woke up after their holiday festivities to light rain early Friday. The chance of added precipitation was put at 70 percent, with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch possible, forecasters said.

Related story: Sunny Thanksgiving Day In Austin Area To Usher In Rain

More rainstorms are expected to develop overnight through Saturday, according to the forecast although chances will diminish by nightfall, according to the National Weather Service. The chance of showers and thunderstorms are 40 percent before midnight, forecasters said.

Sunday will be mostly clear, weather officials added, with a low of around 39 degrees. The high temperature will be near 60 degrees, forecasters say, with wind gusts possibly reaching up to 25 miles per hour. Sunday night is expected to be mostly clear, weather officials added, with a low of around 39 degrees.