Heavy Rainfall, Fog Descending On Travis, Williamson Counties

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin region will see more rain on Tuesday — up to two inches in some spots — accompanied by patchy fog making travel hazardous, National Weather Service officials said.

Rain is all but a foregone conclusion for the region, with a 100 percent chance forecast. The National Weather Service predicts the heaviest rainfall will descend on Travis County and areas east. Further inhibiting the morning commute will be a return to the fog that's exacerbated traffic headaches for motorists so far this week.

After a week-long dry spell, Saturday ushered in an earnest return of the wet stuff. Plans were altered, and some holiday events were canceled as a result of Saturday's relentless rain. Sunday proved sunny and warm, leading many of us to think we'd see nothing but chamber of commerce weather for the rest of the week.

But no.

By Monday evening, just past 6:20 p.m., the NWS issued a fog-prompted a hazardous weather outlook for South-Central Texas. The hazardous weather outlook for Monday evening includes Travis County and Williamson County along with: Llano; Burnet; Val Verde; Edwards; Real; Kerr; Bandera; Gillespie;K endall; Blanco; Hays; Bastrop; Lee; Kinney; Uvalde; Medina; Bexar; Comal; Guadalupe; Caldwell; Fayette; Maverick; Zavala; Frio; Atascosa; Wilson; Karnes; Gonzales; De Witt; Lavaca; and Dimmit.

The dense fog advisory is in effect for most of those areas tonight through 9 a.m. Tuesday, forecasters said. Visibility reduced to a quarter-mile or less can be expected, officials said. "If driving, slow down, use your low beam headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you," meteorologists wrote on the NWS website.

As if that weren't enough of a concern, widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to spread from southwest to northeast overnight, forecasters said. The main threat will be locally heavy downpours toward morning, officials added.

Widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms will continue through Tuesday morning, then develop into a line of showers and thunderstorms along and east of I-35 in the afternoon into early evening, according to the NWS. "The main threat will be locally heavy downpours," officials wrote. "However, a strong to marginally severe storm or two is possible especially along the line with a risk for hail and damaging winds."

Some pockets of the region could see up to two inches of rain overnight into Tuesday across the eastern Hill Country to along and east of Interstate 35 and Interstate 37, officials warned. This could result in minor flooding issues in some spots, they added.

After a week-long dearth of rain, ran gauges at the main weather station for Austin at Camp Mabry registered 1.32 inches of rain after Saturday's downpour.

Tips for driving in fog, heavy rain

Travelers Insurance provides three important tips for driving in fog:

• Slow down. Driving at normal speeds in fog can be very dangerous.
• Always headlights, never brights. Avoid using high-beam headlights in fog as fog consists of tiny water droplets that spread and reflect light.
• Stay focused on the road. Driving in fog is not a time for multi-tasking. This means no texting, please. If you must be on the phone, make sure you use your headphones to keep both hands on the driving wheel.

"Fog can be one of the most dangerous weather conditions for both new and experienced drivers," Travelers Insurance officials wrote on their website. "Fog has the potential to reduce visibility significantly, so it is critical that drivers stay focused on the road in order to stay safe."
Such conditions require a driver's full focus, officials added: "Severe weather demands your undivided attention, so be sure to reduce any possible distractions by turning the radio down or turning off that phone to keep your attention fully on the road. Keep in mind that sometimes the best driving decision you can make is to stay off the road completely until the weather clears."
For more tips on driving in severe weather such as heavy winds and heavy rain, click here.

>>> Top image by Todd Diemer on Unsplash, bottom image by Joshua K. Jackson on Unsplash