Austin weather: Flood Watch to go into effect tonight
AUSTIN, Texas - A Flood Watch will be in effect tonight (April 30) and last well into Friday.
Live updates
2:50 p.m.
The National Weather Service says a Flood Watch will go into effect starting at 9 p.m. Thursday and last until Friday evening.
The watch covers part of south Central Texas, including Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Edwards, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Lee, Llano, Medina, Real, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Williamson and Wilson counties.
The watch is due to potentially life-threatening flooding and excessive runoff into rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
NWS says that rainfall between two to four inches with isolated amounts of six inches is possible while the watch is in effect.
2:45 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now over for multiple Central Texas counties.
The warning covered Travis, Hays, Caldwell, and Bastrop counties and was in effect until 2:45 p.m.
The National Weather Service says that at 1:38 p.m., a severe thunderstorm was spotted on radar over Bee Cave, moving east at 35 mph.
Hazards noted in the warning include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail. The NWS says to expect wind damage to roofs, siding and trees, as well as hail damage to vehicles.
NWS is also warning residents about potential flash flooding and reminding them to not drive through flooded roadways.
ORIGINAL FORECAST
The door remains open for more rain and storms in the next 36 hours.
Timeline:
Today, hit-and-miss showers and storms are possible with the highest rain chances over the Hill Country.
Since we are behind a cold front, the atmosphere is more stable, so the severe risk remains low today and tomorrow.
Rain totals and rain chances are trending higher for Friday.
With the Western low taking a direct hit on Texas, we will get multiple rounds of heavy rain and storms all day Friday.
What threats could we see?
We are under a level 2 flooding risk for Friday with a moderate risk of street flooding and low to moderate risk of flash flooding.
By the numbers:
Confidence is high for 1 to 3" of rain for the entire area.
All the computer weather models showing inches of rain for Central Texas with the totals slightly higher to the east and south of Austin.
What you can do:
Track your local forecast for the Austin area quickly with the free FOX 7 WAPP.
The design gives you radar, hourly, and 7-day weather information just by scrolling.
Our weather alerts will warn you early and help you stay safe.
The Source: Information from FOX 7 Austin meteorologist Zack Shields