Tornado Warnings For Austin, Williamson Counties Expire Early Monday

AUSTIN, TX — A severe thunderstorms warning for Bastrop and Austin counties expired at about 12:45 a.m. on Monday, along with a tornado warning that had been in effect for Williamson County and northeast portions of Travis County, National Weather Service officials said.

Still, NWS officials said a storm alert remains in effect for areas east of the Austin metro area, weather officials added.

Late Sunday night, a strong storm hit the area amid predictions of severe weather. It was brief, but dumped a fair amount of rain in the area. By early Monday, the threat of severe weather moved eastward toward Milam County, according to NWS officials. As the storm line moved away from the area, College Station and Bryan were put under a severe thunderstorm warning until 2:30 a.m. as the storm moved east, prompting officials to urge residents to take cover.

Despite its less-than-expected severity, the storm's force as it moved into Austin left close to 6,000 Austin Energy customers without power. Shortly after 10 p.m., officials at the utility said 5,900 customers were left without power in the areas of Bee Cave, 71 West, Slaughter Lane and the South 1st Street areas.

Danger persists, however, as storm water runs off into streets. The accumulation on area roadways has prompted officials to close more than 40 low water crossings in the area. Motorists are urged to turn around when encountering such crossings, which can quickly turn treacherous.

The website ATXFloods.com continually posts updated closures to prevent needless deaths. Motorists sometimes believe water isn't high enough to avoid crossing, which has often led to tragedy. Furthermore, it's illegal to drive around barricades at a flooded low water crossing.

Of the area's 1,685 low water crossings, 44 were closed as of 12:30 a.m. Monday as a result of the sudden but strong storms that descended on the area. Closings encompass a wide swath, from Austin to Leander.

Monday morning will bring more showers and thunderstorms to about 50 percent of the area, according to National Weather Service officials. Some of these storms could be severe, NWS officials said, and produce heavy rainfall.

The high is expected to be 73 degrees. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter-inch and higher are possible, weather officials said. Things should calm down by Monday night, when it will be partly cloudy with a low of about 53 with a calm wind.

While Austin and its surrounding areas were spared the brunt of the storm's force, residents of neighboring San Antonio were hit hard. Tornado warnings were issued for the area throughout Monday evening, and National Weather Service officials tweeted of plans to survey the damage by daybreak. News 4 reported that 43 reports of structure damage, and counting had been reported by fire department officials.

That damage and abundant debris throughout San Antonio could have been caused by a small tornado that touched down, although it was too early to tell early Monday if that was the cause.

A flash flood warning for San Antonio remained in effect until 3 a.m., prompting officials to urge residents to seek higher ground immediately.

One college student tweeted that her dorm had been evacuated to the stairwell for fear of possible tornadoes. "Life is great!" she wrote sarcastically.

Post-storm (at least the first round), dozens of low-water crossings were closed throughout Travis and Williamson counties early Monday. These dangerous crossings are located at:

• 6765 Old Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX
• 6334 Joe Tanner Ln, Austin, TX
• Ridgmar Road at Brushy Creek Leander, TX
• CR 305 Williamson County
• CR 123/ BRUSHY CREEK Williamson County
• CR 177 Williamson County
• SPEARS RANCH RD / CR 305 Williamson County
• 1400 Blk Nature Heights Dr Between US-281 & Commerce St., Marble Falls,
• 800 Blk Ave L Between Broadway St. & Ninth St., Marble Falls
• 400 - 700 Blk Avenue T Between 4th St. & 7th St.
• OLD BASTROP HWY (CR 266) - AT MILLERS LAKE Hays County
• Hidden Valley Rd @ Low Water Crossing Hays County
• GOFORTH RD (CR 157) - BETWEEN BRENT BLVD AND BLUESTEM ST Hays County
• 2600 Blk Commerce St Commerce St & Trade St
• P4009 - 175 Block Arbuckle Rd 175 Blk
• Boggy Creek 800 Bk Boggy Creek, Caldwell County
• P2032 - Indian Lake Spillway on Big Bow P2032 - Indian Lake Spillway on Big Bow
• River Rd at Loma Vista River Rd at Loma Vista
• TX1016 - Bastrop State Park Dam Park Rd 1-A TX 1016 - Bastrop State Park Dam Park Rd 1-A
• P2060 - 1000 Blk Saint Delight Rd Approx 1020 Saint Delight
• Wayside Dr @ River Rd Hays County
• High Rd @ GoForth Rd Hays County
• Circle Rd Circle Rd
• Bridge at 500 Alum Creek Rd Bridge at 500 Alum Creek Rd
• 160 Lakeside Drive 160 Lakeside Drive
• Cattlemens between Shorthorn and Herford Cattlemens between Shorthorn and Herford
• Koali Dr Koali Dr
• Aloha Ln Aloha Ln
• Kahalulu Dr Kahalulu Dr
• Upolu Ct Upolu Ct
• Koae Ct Koae Ct
• Alele Dr Alele Dr
• Kailu Ct Kailu Ct
• Pahalawe Ln Pahalawe Ln
• East Keamuku Ct East Keamuku Ct
• Honopu Dr Honopu Dr
• Forest Ln Forest Ln
• Lisa Ln Lisa Ln
• Riverside just East of Keanehalululu Ln Riverside just East of Keanehalululu Ln
• Kaanapali at Tall Forest Kaanapali at Tall Forest
• Goforth Rd @ Bebee Rd Hays County
• Riverside West of Kaala Riverside West of Kaala
• Riverside Dr Washed out Riverside Dr Washed out
• River Rd @ Leveritts Loop Hays County

At ATXFloods.com, an interactive map allows users to click on specific low-water crossings to determine their exact locations amid their surroundings. It's advisable to continually check the website, as low water crossings are added intermittently as water runoff accumulates post-storm.

Remember: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Not doing so could be perilous, as this dramatic video illustrates:

>>> Image via Shutterstock