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1 person dead, tens of thousands without power after hail, wind and rain batter Austin

A person walks through a flooded street in Hyde Park after a severe thunderstorm passed through the area
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
A person walks through a flooded street in Hyde Park after a severe thunderstorm passed through the area.

Editor's note: Follow our latest coverage of the storm's aftermath here, including updates from city leaders on injuries, power outages and property damage.

At least one person is dead as a result of the severe storm that hit Austin on Wednesday. AGÕæÈ˰ټÒÀÖ County EMS said the person was found at the scene of a water rescue. Two other people were taken to hospitals.

More than 30,000 Austin Energy customers Thursday morning. Austin Energy said it could take a few days to get power back for everyone. The energy provider said it would update estimated restoration times once the damage was fully assessed.

The city scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. It will be aired live on KUT.

Austin Energy warned residents not to touch downed power lines or tree limbs that are touching them. Customers can call 512-322-9100 to report a downed line.

Eleven low-water crossings are closed around Central Texas. Flooding can make low-lying roads dangerous to drive on. City officials do not recommend trying to drive through standing water on roads as it is often deeper than it appears. Find which roads are closed due to flooding at .

Capital Metro said passengers could experience some delays in bus and rail service Thursday morning due to the storms.

The severe storm Wednesday brought heavy rain, damaging winds and golf ball-sized hail to the area.

Officials at Austin Bergstrom International Airport said Wednesday that winds broke a glass door near Checkpoint 1, but airport operations are not affected. The Texas Newsroom's Blaise Gainey reported there was also rain damage at the Texas Capitol.

KUT's Stephanie Federico was driving home northbound on Guadalupe Street during the storm.

“The sky was just totally black," she said. "Hail was pounding from all over, all sides of the car. ... It was like golf balls being thrown at you."

KUT's Olivia Aldridge watched the storm from her front porch in Hyde Park. She said streets flooded, large branches fell and everyone in her neighborhood lost power.

Austin resident Mariah Davis was shopping at the H-E-B in the Mueller neighborhood during the storm.

"A bunch of people were running in all bloody," she said. "They had a bunch of bruises already forming from the hail."

Here are a few ways to stay informed during severe weather events:

  • Follow the  for the latest weather updates.
  • Follow Austin Emergency Management on  or  for local notifications and tips.
  • Go to  to sign up for emergency alerts. 
  •  to report a power outage or see a map of current outages. If you're a customer of another energy provider, ,  and  have their own outage maps.
  • KUT also has a list of  that post about local weather.
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