Flash Flood Warning Issued For Austin Area

AUSTIN, TX — The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the region late Wednesday morning after the line of thunderstorms that rolled into the area early morning.

An alert to subscribers of emergency notices was conveyed on residents' cell phones at 10:30 a.m., watch of the possibility of flash flooding as the water from storms descending early Wednesday dissipate. The flash flood watch expires at 7 p.m., according to the NWS. Initially, forecasters issued a flash flood warning alert, changing it to a watch minutes later.

Austin-Travis County EMS tweeted in alerting to the flash flood watch as well, although they conveyed the expiration would be at 6:45 p.m. The flash flood watch covers southwest Williamson County, Travis County and outlying areas encompassing Hays and Comal counties. Doppler radar has indicated storms with heavy rain across Interstate 35 this morning in Austin and adjacent areas, with up to three inches falling in some areas.

A flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring whereas a flood watch conveys residents to be prepared. A flash flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a specific hazardous weather event to occur.

While the thunderstorms' severity was not as potent as some forecasters had anticipated in most areas — some areas ended up getting more than five inches of rain — the runoff still has the potential to create flash flooding in some areas.

The NWS is predicting more rain, primarily east of Austin, throughout the day on Wednesday. By Thursday, sunshine is expected to return in typical mercurial Texas weather form.

But until that sunshine emerges, one can expect more rain throughout the day on Wednesday. The main weather station at Camp Mabry registered 2.48 inches of rain on Wednesday morning — virtually the same amount of rainfall recorded since Jan. 1. Meanwhile, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has recorded a new rainfall record for this date with 4.29 inches recorded. The previous record was 1.86 inches for March 28, according to the reading.

Yet the rain appeared to be subsiding by noon, with a flood warning for Onion Creek at U.S. 183 canceled.

Motorists are advised to monitor low-water crossings via ATXFloods.com to see where the most treacherous roadways are. At last check, 141 of 1,960 low-water crossings in the region had been closed as of 11 a.m. The National Weather Service also issues alerts as needed, and can be monitored on their website or Twitter page.

The rain has ebbed and flowed since early Wednesday, renewing in strength within the last hour. In addition to making roads slick, ensuing potential flooding enhances the treacherous nature of rain-soaked roadways.

Patch will update as warranted.

Related story: Thunderstorms, Some Severe, Expected Throughout Central Texas