| Austin American-Statesman
Austin Snow: Drone shows the city in freezing cold during a winter storm
See Austin as you’ve rarely seen it before: Covered in snow from above.
Ana Ramirez, Jay Janner, Brontë Wittpenn and Nate Chute, Wochit
Editor’s note: The Statesman is making this winter weather story in Austin available for everyone to read as a public service. If you haven’t already, sign up today at statesman.com/subscribenow.
Austin power outage updates: Thousands still without power across central Texas
Sunday: What you need to know about Austin’s weather on Sunday: snow makes the second visit to Austin this year
Monday: What you need to know about Austin’s weather on Monday: 5th day of freezing, no rain until Wednesday
Tuesday: Winter storm warning in effect until Thursday
Austin Water is asking customers in southwest Austin and the Lost Creek neighborhood to boil their water before using it for drinking or cooking, until further notice.
The boiling water warning was issued after 11 am on Wednesday, marking the first sign of water problems after power cuts that left much of the city without electricity since Monday morning.
Austin Water says it has not detected contaminants in its water supply and that the warning is a precaution. All Austin Water customers – not just those in areas with a boil warning – are being asked to limit water use to essential needs to avoid a possible boil warning across the city.
Full story: Boiling water warning issued to Southwest Austin, Lost Creek; other areas said to limit the use
Wednesday forecast for Austin
What do you need to know about Wednesday’s weather? Please stay off the roads.
“A significant and paralyzing freezing event is taking place this morning,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin on Wednesday. “Traveling is almost impossible in many places in Hill Country and along and east of the I-35 corridor this morning due to icy roads.”
If you are traveling, the weather service recommends keeping an extra blanket, flashlight, charged cell phone, extra food and mineral water in your vehicle in case of an emergency in your vehicle.
Meteorologists warn that ice-covered tree branches and power lines could fall this morning, where heavier ice has already occurred in the past few days.
Temperatures can be above freezing in the afternoon and allow partial melting. But a second round of freezing rain and sleet is expected on Wednesday night, before switching to snow on Thursday, the weather service said.
“Heavier amounts of snow are currently forecast across the entire Rio Grande and west of Hill Country,” said meteorologists.
A winter storm alert remains in effect until 6pm on Thursday for the Austin metropolitan area and neighboring Hill Country, the weather service said. The warning was extended from 6 am on Thursday night because of the time of the new precipitation that started on Wednesday.
Austin’s forecast for Wednesday predicts that freezing rain will continue until 9 am Daytime temperatures can reach 1 degree above zero for a peak close to 33. But the chills will be produced by north winds of 5 to 10 mph.
At night, Austin has another small chance of freezing rain and sleet between midnight and 3 am, meteorologists said.
Overnight temperatures, from Wednesday to Thursday, will drop below zero to a minimum of around 25 degrees. The sharp north winds will persist with gusts up to 20 mph.
A small chance of snow, freezing rain and hail will be possible on Thursday.
The extended forecast from the weather service predicts that melting temperatures will rise on Friday and more seasonal temperatures for February in Austin this weekend:
Thursday: A small chance of snow and hail before 9 am, then a small chance of snow. High near 34 with north winds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts of up to 20 mph. Generally clear at night with a low around 18. Winds north-northwest persist.
Friday: Sunny with maximum close to 42. Then, generally clear skies at night with low around 25.
Saturday: Sunny with a peak close to 54. South winds increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning with gusts up to 20 mph. At night, very cloudy with a low around 43.
Sunday: Predominantly sunny with a high close to 60. Then, at night, partly cloudy with a low around 38.
Monday: Sunny with maximum near 60. Mostly clear at night with low around 37.