Wintry precipitation continues with a snow/sleet/freezing rain mix
Austin, TX - The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Central Texas area, which remains in effect until Tuesday, January 21 at 6 p.m. Area residents should prepare for hazardous travel conditions as wintry precipitation continues with a snow/sleet/freezing rain mix.
The Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activated on Monday, January 20 to ensure a coordinated response to this event among city and county departments, partner agencies, and non-governmental organizations. During the EOC activation, critical updates will be posted online at austintexas.gov/alerts and are available in 14 different languages.
Safety Tips
City crews have been pre-treating critical roadways. Icy conditions may exist. Travel is discouraged. If you must travel, remember the following:
-
Drive at slower speeds to maintain control of your vehicle.
-
Leave additional space between you and the vehicle in front of you to allow additional stopping time.
-
Map out a route beforehand to avoid elevated areas where black ice tends to form. Visit www.drivetexas.org
-
If your car begins to skid, do NOT slam on your brakes. Release the accelerator and steer into the direction of the skid but be careful not to over-correct.
-
If you are involved in a collision on an icy roadway, DO NOT exit your vehicle unless you are in immediate danger. Remain inside and call for help.
Never use ovens, stoves, or grills to warm your home, as this could cause exposure to carbon monoxide.
If you don’t have power, the best ways to keep warm are:
-
Wear multiple layers of warm, lightweight clothing.
-
Wear mittens or gloves, and a hat.
-
Wrap yourself in plenty of blankets.
-
Keep curtains closed unless the sun is out, to conserve heat.
-
Put everyone in the household in one room.
-
If you’re using a space heater, make sure it has plenty of room and an automatic off switch.
If you have not signed up to receive emergency alerts on your phone, please visit WarnCentralTexas.org to register. Alerts can be sent via text, call, and/or email.
Cold Weather Shelters & Warming Centers
Approximately 550 guests were welcomed at the City’s overnight cold weather shelters on Monday night.
As a reminder, Cold Weather Shelters (CWS) will continue 24-hour operations through Wednesday morning, January 22. CWS embarkation will continue to take place daily from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs Rd).
City libraries are closed due to inclement weather, except the following four libraries which are serving as warming centers today from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
-
Central Library – 710 W. César Chávez St.
-
Terrazas Branch – 1105 E. Cesar Chavez St.
-
Ruiz Branch – 1600 Grove Blvd.
-
Little Walnut Branch – 835 W. Rundberg Ln.
Community Shelters
If you need to leave your home for any reason due to impacts of the winter storm, Austin 3-1-1 can connect you to community shelter resources. Call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 for assistance.
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 at austintexas.gov/myschedule.
ARR’s Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center at 2514 Business Center Dr. will be during open regular hours, by appointment only and Austin Water’s Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant at 2210 FM 973 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.
Public Safety
Public safety departments (Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, and Austin Travis County EMS) responded to about a dozen potentially weather-related calls overnight, including four exposure calls, six car accidents, and two fires.
*All incident counts are preliminary and subject to change as reports are finalized and additional information is reconciled. If corrections are necessary, these numbers will be updated in subsequent releases.
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 Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court appearances will be rescheduled and all due dates will be extended. If you have questions or wish to speak to a Municipal Court clerk, please call 512-974-4800 or visit: austintexas.gov/municipal-court. Please call 512-974-4879 if you with to speak with a DACC clerk.
Violet KeepSafe Storage will remain open at 700 7th St. Please call 512-974-1294 for more information.
Parks and Recreation
All Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed on Tuesday, January 21, with the exception of recreation centers that are being utilized as shelters or warming centers. Please 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.
Additional Area Updates
CapMetro
CapMetro resumes limited operations starting at 10 a.m. today, Tuesday, January 21, with the first trips for customers expected closer to 11 a.m. for Bus, Pickup and Access services. CapMetro Rail will not operate.
Austin Boards & Commissions Canceled
The following Boards & Commission meetings have been cancelled for January 21:
Note: A previous version of this news release listed the Bicycle Advisory Council meeting as canceled; it will take place in a virtual format.
The EOC will remain operational until further notice. In addition to the Alerts page (www.austintexas.gov/alerts) updates will be posted on @AustinHSEM social media accounts on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram and shared to the official City of Austin accounts.
Everyone is encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts through Warn Central Texas.
Please call 9-1-1 for medical or life-threatening emergencies. If you need other types of service or assistance from the City, please call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 or download the 3-1-1 mobile app. Keeping 9-1-1 lines clear for only emergencies will allow the City to properly dispatch first responders and emergency personnel to those who need immediate help.
###