Winter weather: Central Texas businesses, services affected by possible snow, ice

Central Texas businesses, organizations and government entities are adjusting their operations due to the arctic blast that's impacting the region.

The backstory:

A Winter Storm Warning has been issued from 6 p.m. today, Jan. 20, to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21. This means snow and sleet are possible and could lead to some travel issues overnight. 

FOX 7 Austin's Zack Shields says that all the pieces of the snow puzzle will come together tonight from midnight to sunrise tomorrow. The highest snow totals will stay east of Austin with 1 to 2" possible.

Many school districts, private and charter schools, and colleges and universities have decided to close their campuses for Tuesday, Jan. 21 with decisions pending for Wednesday.

What businesses are impacted?

H-E-B

The Texas grocery store chain says they are temporarily adjusting store hours for the following stores:

Greater San Antonio area

  • Boerne, Bulverde, Fredericksburg, all Kerrville stores, and all New Braunfels stores will close at 8 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • All other San Antonio area stores will close at 10 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • Central Market will close at 10 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.

Central Texas area

  • Kyle, Lockhart, Luling, and all San Marcos stores will close at 8 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • Wimberley will close at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • All other Central Texas area stores will close at regular hours on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • Central Market stores will close at 10 p.m. on Jan. 20 and open at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.
  • Stores in Belton, Harker Heights, Gatesville, Killeen, Temple, and Waco area will operate normal business hours.

For more information, click here.

What services are affected?

CapMetro

CapMetro services are suspended after 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20. Riders are advised to take final trips before 9 p.m.  Night Owl buses are canceled.

Due to MLK Day, Rail, UT Shuttles and Express are not in service on Monday Jan. 20.

CapMetro is expected to resume limited operations starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, with the first trips for customers expected closer to 11 a.m. for Bus, Pickup and Access services. Customers can begin booking trips with most zones starting at 10 a.m., though CapMetro is encouraging essential trips only. 

Manor Pickup, which is operated by CARTS, will not operate. CapMetro updated on Tuesday that Pickup in Lago Vista will not run Tuesday due to deteriorating road conditions.

Rail, Rail Connector Routes 465 and 466, UT Shuttles, Flyer, Express, and Night Owls will not operate and all Round Rock services have been suspended on January 21.  

Bikeshare service will end on Monday, Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. Bikes cannot be checked out and can only be returned. Service will resume on Tuesday at 10 a.m.  

Only medically essential trips for CapMetro Access customers will be conducted on Jan. 21. CapMetro staff are contacting all Access customers with appointments on Tuesday to notify them about possible delays and to reschedule non-medically essential trips. 

The Transit Store will remain closed on Tuesday.  

Central Health and CommUnityCare

All Central Health and CommUnityCare clinics and offices will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Central Health and CommUnityCare team members are contacting patients with information about how the weather will impact their appointments. Patients seen by third-party providers will be contacted by those providers.

Central Health Eligibility Services team members are contacting applicants with appointments to reschedule or provide information about how to apply online and over the phone. An announcement on Wednesday closures will be issued Tuesday.

Central TX VA Health Care System

VA outpatient clinics in Austin, Cedar Park, LaGrange and Bryan/College Station will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Local VA staff are reaching out to patrons affected by the closures to reschedule appointments either via VA Video Connect (VVC), Telehealth, or in-person appointments.

All clinics are expected to reopen on Wednesday. All other facilities and services remain open for normal operating hours.

Integral Care

Integral Care clinics, administrative offices, and other non-essential programs will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Psychiatric Emergency Services, all other crisis services and all residential services are continuing normal operations. 

Anyone in need of urgent help can call 512-472-HELP (4357), then press 1 for English, then 1 for immediate assistance.

YMCA of Greater Austin

All Greater Austin YMCA centers will be closing all facilities on Monday Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. and expects to reopen facilities at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

What government offices are impacted?

Statewide

City Operations Updates 

The City will be under modified operations on Tuesday, January 21. Under modified operations, City staff are providing assistance by phone, email, or through virtual meetings.  

Due to inclement weather, some City of Austin facilities may be closed to the public on Tuesday. We encourage residents to stay off the roads, but if you must travel to a City building, please call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 to confirm that the building is open to the public before traveling.    

Austin Animal Center 

The Austin Animal Center is closed to the public. Essential staff will be present to care and feed the animals at the facility.    

Austin Public Health 

Austin Public Health has contacted patients with previously scheduled Tuesday appointments to reschedule. Walk-in services will not be available. 

Austin Bergstrom International Airport 

AUS is open but airlines have canceled some flights and delays should be expected. Travelers should confirm their flight is scheduled for departure and take extreme care when traveling to the airport. AUS teams are prepared. Department staff are staying on site to ensure AUS stays open and safe for people and planes. The airport has been coordinating with airline, federal agency and concession partners - who also have made the necessary operational adjustments to be ready to welcome passengers. 

Austin Energy 

Austin Energy continues to monitor grid conditions and remains ready to respond to any outages. Customers can report power outages online, by texting "OUT" to 287846, or by calling 512-322-9100. Current outages and status updates are available on the Austin Energy Outage Map

Austin Water 

Austin Water continues monitoring with elevated awareness to provide reliable service during winter weather. Austin Water staff will be available virtually to answer utility questions or provide assistance to those requiring permits.  

Customers can stay informed about water service impacts by visiting AW’s online Leak and Outage Map, which shows current reports and estimated repair times.  Leaks, outages, or other service problems can be reported to Austin Water’s 24/7 emergency services team at 512-972-1000. Additional winter weather tips are available at austinwater.org. 

Austin Resource Recovery 
Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) customers may have delayed trash, recycling, composting, on-demand bulk, brush and household hazardous waste collections, due to winter weather conditions. Customers should put out carts and materials for on-demand collections by 5:30 a.m. on their scheduled collection day and leave any uncollected carts and materials out to allow crews to catch up throughout the week. Customers can get updates about service changes by downloading the Austin Recycles app or by signing up for reminders.  

ARR’s Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center at 2514 Business Center Dr. will be open regular hours, by appointment only and Austin Water’s Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant will be open regular hours (8 a.m.– 3 p.m.) for yard trimmings and large brush drop off only, as conditions allow.  

In addition, ARR's commercial customers in the Central Business District may experience service delays or suspension on Tuesday. Street sweeping and litter abatement in the Central Business District will be suspended on Tuesday and will resume as weather allows and winter road treatments such as sand and gravel are ready to be removed. 

Development Services  

The Development Services Department (DSD) will not offer in-person services, including inspections. DSD staff will be available by phone, chat, email and for any virtual appointments. In-person inspections scheduled for Tuesday will roll over to Wednesday, weather permitting.   

Municipal Court (MC) and Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) 

All appearances will be rescheduled and all due dates will be extended. Anyone with questions or wants to speak to a Municipal Court clerk can call 512-974-4800 or click here. Call 512-974-4879 to speak with a DACC clerk. 

Violet KeepSafe Storage will remain open at 700 7th St. Call 512-974-1294 for more information. 

Parks and Recreation 

All Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21, except for recreation centers that are being utilized as shelters or warming centers. Check austintexas.gov/parkclosures for the latest information.   

Transportation & Public Works 

Transportation and Public Works crews have been pre-treating critical roadways and structures. Out of an abundance of caution considering the threat of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, please stay home and off the roadways if possible. If you do have to drive, map out a route beforehand to avoid elevated areas where black ice tends to form.  

Online permitting services will still be available.  

Austin Boards & Commissions Cancelled 

The following Boards & Commission meetings have been cancelled for January 21: 

  • Zoning and Platting 
  • Bicycle Advisory Council 
  • HIV Planning Council - Executive Committee 
  • Resource Management Commission 

City of Elgin

City Hall and the Elgin Public Library will be open for regular hours on Tuesday. Jan. 21. The public library has been designated a warming center.

The Elgin Recreation Center will close at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 and be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Waste Management will not run trash routes on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and collection will roll one day. 

City of Georgetown

City of Georgetown facilities will be closed to the public on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in response to winter weather. Tuesday’s closures include:

  • Art Center, 816 S. Main St.
  • Animal Shelter, 110 Walden Drive
  • City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King, Jr. St.
  • Council and Courts Buildi,.ng (including Municipal Court), 510 W. Ninth St.
  • Garey Park, 6450 RM 2243
  • Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave.
  • GoGeo paratransit services
  • Grace Heritage Center, 817 S. Main St.
  • Parks and Recreation Administration, 1101 N. College St.
  • Planning Department, 809 Martin Luther King, Jr. St.
  • Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.
  • Public Safety Operations and Training Center, Police Records and Fire Support Services offices, 3500 D.B. Wood Road
  • Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave.
  • Tennis Center, 400 Serenada Drive
  • Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh St.

Board and Commission meetings scheduled for Tuesday have been cancelled. The Georgetown Executive Airport will remain open.

Solid Waste and Recycling Collection

As of 3 p.m. on Monday, Texas Disposal Systems was planning to collect landfill trash or recycling on Tuesday, Jan. 21. If you are on a Tuesday route, please put your carts out by 7 a.m. as per usual. Residents should leave their cart at the curb until it is collected, as TDS may run late or decide to delay routes until the following day. The Transfer Station, 250 W.L. Walden Drive, will remain open on Tuesday.

City of Giddings

The City of Giddings will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 21. The deadline for utility bill payments will be extended to Friday, Jan. 24, to avoid disconnection.

City of Leander

City offices will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and resume on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Sanitation collection

Garbage and recycling collections will be closed on Tuesday Jan. 21 and be delayed by one day. The schedule will be as follows:

  • Tuesday (Jan. 21) collection on Wednesday (Jan. 22)
  • Wednesday (Jan. 22) collection on Thursday (Jan. 23)
  • Thursday (Jan. 23) collection on Friday (Jan. 24)
  • Friday (Jan. 24) collection on Saturday (Jan. 25)

Residents should have their carts at the curb by 6 a.m.

Utility Bills

Customers may submit payments to the Utilities drop box on the south wall of Leander City Hall located at 105 N Brushy Street, pay by phone at 512-528-2704, or pay online.

City of Manor

The City of Manor offices will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21st. 

Police Department and Public Works Essential personnel will remain fully operational monitoring the roads and water and sewer utilities.

City of New Braunfels

The City of New Braunfels is making operational changes to city services due to the weather:

  • Das Rec will close at 6 p.m. Jan. 20
  • All non-essential City services will delay opening until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21st. This includes City Hall and other administrative offices, Municipal Court, the Public Library, the Westside Community Center, Das Rec, the Civic & Convention Center, and the City Municipal Building.
  • Garbage and Recycling collection is postponed for Tuesday, Jan. 21 and collection services for the rest of the week will shift forward by one day.
  • The Landa Park Golf Course will be closed through Wednesday, Jan. 22 and will re-open on Thursday, Jan. 23 at noon.
  • Restrooms, water fountains, and other similar facilities in all city parks are temporarily closed.
  • Any City meetings or events scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21 have been cancelled.
  • The Downtown Advisory Board meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 21 has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date.

City of San Marcos

City of San Marcos offices and facilities will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21. There will be no local transit service or Interurban services provided either. 

The City Council Work Session will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by the Regular City Council Meeting at 6 p.m. Both meetings will proceed as planned in a virtual format. Council Chambers will remain open for those who wish to provide citizen comments in person; however, the public is strongly encouraged to participate online for safety. 

Residents wishing to participate in the citizen comment portion of the meeting may do so by completing the Citizen Comment Signup Form available online.

Travis County

Travis County Judge Andy Brown announced Travis County’s non-essential offices, services, and facilities will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21. 

Essential emergency personnel will continue to report for duty. Travis County employees who have questions about their department can reach out to their immediate supervisor.

The Travis County Commissioners Court voting session scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 9 a.m. is cancelled.

Williamson County

Williamson County offices will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Hays County

All non-essential county offices and facilities will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The closure does not include public safety offices.

Juror service is also canceled. Commissioners Court is canceled and will convene on Jan. 28.

The county says it currently plans to reopen county offices on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at normal operating hours.

The Source: Information comes from various governments, businesses and organizations

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