FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 15, 2024

Winter Storm Impacting in Central Texas

Community asked to stay indoors, take resiliency measures

As Winter Storm Heather continues impacting Austin and Central Texas, the City is encouraging community members to continue to keep with their winter weather safety precautions. Please protect people, pets, pipes, and plants while also checking on your neighbors. 

Overnight the National Weather Service upgraded the Winter Storm Advisory to a Winter Storm Warning that remained in effect until noon Monday.  

Severe cold and winter weather are expected to remain in the area through Wednesday morning, with windchills in the single digits for much of Central Texas and even negative windchills in some areas. Please take precautions to avoid the cold and protect your home.  

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown held a news conference at noon Monday to provide an update to the community along with representatives from Austin’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Austin Energy, and Austin Transportation and Public Works and leadership from Austin Police, Austin Fire and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.  

Cold Weather Shelters remain activated now until Wednesday morning for those needing a warm place to stay overnight. Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office reported approximately 400 people utilized this service on Sunday night.  

Austin Parks and Recreation Department will notify after-school participants regarding regularly scheduled programming. Please note general Parks programs are canceled through Wednesday morning at some locations. The City encourages checking the Park's website before heading to a location.  

Since the storm moved into Austin on Saturday night the City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reports 33 calls to Austin 311 since Saturday requesting shelter services from the City.

Three locations from Austin Public Library are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday to serve as warming centers for those needing a reprieve from the cold during the day. Those locations are:  

• Little Walnut Creek Branch, 835 W. Rundberg Ln.
• Ruiz Branch, 1600 Grove Blvd.
• Terrazas Branch, 1105 E Cesar Chavez St.

Austin Public Library and Austin Parks and Recreation Department facilities are available as Warming Centers during normal business hours, and service animals are welcome. To find the Warming Center nearest you, please use the City of Austin Warming Centers Map maintained by Austin HSEM. Warming Centers are meant to serve as a temporary reprieve from the cold. These are not overnight shelters.

In anticipation of the combination of below-freezing temperatures and wintery precipitation, Austin Transportation and Public Works pre-treated bridges and elevated roadways in 30 locations overnight to prevent ice accumulation.  

Austin Police have responded to 35 collisions since ice accumulation began.  

Austin Travis County EMS has responded to 17 calls for environmental exposure since midnight Sunday through Monday morning. Four patients required transport to hospitals, including one case of frostbite. The remainder of patients received transport to a warming center, overnight shelter, or provided with additional blankets and instructions on how to get to a shelter or warming center.

Austin Energy reports fluctuations of 3-30 outages impacting up to approximately 200 customers as of Monday morning. Please report power outages to Austin Energy by texting OUT to 287846 or online at outagemap.austinenergy.com. You can also report an outage by calling 512-322-9100.

DO NOT call 911 to report a power outage. It is crucial that residents only call 911 for emergencies.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport remains open and has continued normal operations throughout this weather event. Airport runways are clear, safe, and in use. Some flights have been affected due to weather conditions in other parts of the U.S. Passengers should stay in touch with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information. Check road conditions before leaving for the airport and plan to arrive at least 2.5 hours early for domestic flights and 3 hours early for international flights.  

Austin HSEM continues to monitor conditions from the Emergency Operations Center along with other departments and non-government organizations that assist the city with emergency response.  

Updates regarding this winter weather event will be posted at austintexas.gov/alerts in 14 different languages. Please follow @AustinHSEM on Facebook and Twitter for other updates and information. The City of Austin is in contact with members of the media, follow and monitor your preferred local news source for up-to-date information as well.  

If you need assistance, call 311, or 512-974-2000, or use the Austin 3-1-1 mobile app. Austin 3-1-1 can connect you with a variety of city resources.

For tips on how to protect yourself and your home, visit ReadyCentralTexas.org. This site has resources and materials related to winter weather preparedness from Austin HSEM and some of our partners.

Important Websites:
City of Austin Alerts Page
Ready Central Texas
Austin Energy Outage Map
Austin 311

Social Media:
City of Austin: Facebook | Twitter
Austin Homeland Security & Emergency Management: Facebook | Twitter
Austin Energy: Facebook | Twitter
Austin Water: Facebook | Twitter

Please check on your neighbors and family who may need assistance. Stay safe. Stay warm.  

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