Flash Flooding Occurring Throughout Austin, Onion Creek Under Flood Warning [UPDATES]

AUSTIN, TX -- Multiple water rescues are under way throughout Austin as the area has again been hit hard with thunderstorms, this time dumping some six inches in two hours' time in some areas.

Much of the area has gotten one to three inches, but some areas have already seen six inches of rain. At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the National Weather Service reported about eight inches had already fallen there close to midnight.

Matters were worse in Southeast Austin, where 10 inches had been reported in a three-hour period. Both Highway 71 and Toll Road 130 were closed by late Thursday as a result of raging waters across the road surface.

Even by their usual busy standards, Austin-Travis County EMS officials were responding to rescue calls to save people whose vehicles had become submerged. Officials made the scene at 7500 FM 1625, only to find no flooding victims inside the submerged vehicles -- the occupants' fates unknown as of midnight Friday.

In the 8100 block of Colton Bluff Springs Road, EMS officials assisted flood victims, with no injuries reported. Medics were dispatched to the 7900 block of U.S. 183 for another motorist rescue at about 12:30 a.m. Friday, successfully extracting one person from high waters.

At about 1 a.m. Friday, EMS medics arrived at the 7600 block of Marble Ridge Dr. to rescue a passenger from a vehicle stranded amid high water in a field. At about the same time in the 8400 block of South FM 973, medics rescued a pregnant woman experiencing labor pains while also stranded in high water.

In the Hill Country, one to two inches have fallen per hour in the Hill Country, with Luckenbach especially hard hit.

As always, flood-prone Onion Creek is an area of concern. Minor flooding was being reported there late Thursday -- particularly near U.S. 183 -- making that portion of the city a must-avoid section.

The flood stage for Onion Creek is 17 feet. By late Thursday, the creek had reached eight feet, according to NWS officials. The minor flooding occuring there is especially acute near U.S. 183, according to NWS.

The flood stage for Onion Creek is 17 feet, and had reached 8 feet at 11 p.m. It's under a flood warning until early Friday morning.

Austin Energy officials confirm there were more than 800 customers without power Thursday evening, as illustrated on the utilities outage map. The affected areas of the blackout is along South Lamar Boulevard and West William Cannon Drive west of MoPac.

By midnight, 92 of the areas 1,580 low water crossings were closed -- with more expected as the night progressed. People who absolutely must be out on the roadways are advised to refer to the ATXfloods.com site that tracks high water on area roadways.

"Save yourself! Turn Around, Don't Drown!," ATXfloods page administrators write on their site. "If there's water over the road, go back and find another route. It is illegal to drive around barricades at a flooded low water crossing.

For current road conditions and closures, visit DriveTexas.org or call 1-800-452-9292.

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From earlier:

AUSTIN, TX -- Weather forecasters on Thursday issued a "hazardous weather outlook" for the entire South-Central Texas region, including Austin and outlying communities.

The National Weather Service said severe storms are possible Thursday afternoon and through the evening, primarily for areas west of Pearsall to San Antonio and on to Georgetown. Large hail is the main risk, but damaging winds and heavy rain also are possible, forecasters said.

From Friday through Wednesday, additional storms are possible. The NWS said a strong line of storms Friday will be focused primarily east of Highway 83. The same threats outlined for today -- large hail and damaging winds -- should be in place, but isolated tornadoes are also possible in the affected region, NWS officials said.

The perennial threat of flooding is in the mix, and motorists are highly urged not to drive over high water crossings.

The possibility of strong storms is expected to remain through Wednesday for the South-Central Texas region, officials said.

Lightning already is being seen in Austin as the storms brew, with some reports in the area surrounding the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.