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Austin’s continuous freeze period ended Thursday morning as temperatures began to rise, though some areas north and west of the city continued to stay at or just below freezing.
Even though travel conditions are improving, officials are urging caution because elevated roads and other roads with no drivers may remain slippery.
Watch live:City of Austin provides update on power outages and winter weather
National Weather Service meteorologists extended a winter storm warning for the Austin metro area and neighboring Hill Country until 10 a.m. Thursday, which brought extra freezing rain early in the morning, adding small amounts of ice to roads and trees, It also brought thunderstorms to the area. area.
The forecast brings additional risks of power outages and downed trees that plagued the city yesterday and still affect more than 155,000 Austin Energy customers without power.A spokesman for the utility said it expected to be fully restored by 6 p.m. Friday
Winter weather:Ice storm leaves 171,000 Austin Energy customers without power; Thursday thaw
Temperatures are expected to rise above zero by 8am on Thursday, with a possible 42 degrees in the afternoon. Rain is expected throughout the morning, but a drier afternoon is expected with little chance of precipitation.
The extended winter storm warning affects Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, while Caldwell and Bastrop counties will be under winter weather warnings. Initially, forecasters set the warning to end at 6 a.m., but the storm system in West Texas pushed eastward, causing more precipitation, the National Weather Service said.
City officials, including the mayor and city manager, will hold a press conference Thursday at 9 a.m., which can be streamed live here.
Frozen trees, icy roads, and power outages:See the damage throughout Austin during the winter storm
Austin Texas Road Conditions
Roads will continue to be dangerous until the 10am warning ends as footpaths are likely to freeze, especially on elevated roads, flyovers and bridges.
Traffic maps from the Texas Department of Transportation showed that most of the ice covering the entire area was absent.the department is Persuade people Against traveling this morning.
“Right now, most of the roads in the city are in pretty good shape,” said Keith White, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio. “There may still be some slippery spots on some elevated roads or less traveled roads over the next few hours. But we do think the temperature will continue to rise through the morning and most of us by 10am. The travel conditions in the area should be in very good shape.”
Blackout folder:Austin Energy reports 150K+ still without power; full recovery expected Friday
Austin Energy Outage Update
Widespread power outages have been ongoing since yesterday as ice crushed branches and vegetation, causing them to snap and damage power lines.
Austin Energy tweets It was able to restore power to some people overnight, but other outages and lightning and weather problems made it difficult for crews to work. The utility said yesterday the outage could last 12 to 24 hours.
“The weather will be better today and tomorrow,” Austin Energy spokesman Matt Mitchell said. “So we expect all customers to be back tomorrow.”
Additionally, traffic lights appeared in parts of the region. If you stop at a signal that’s down, treat it like a four-way stop, officials said.
5:46 a.m.: About 29 percent of Austin Energy customers lose power as 1,200 outages affect more than 156,000 customers.
Winter Tips:Affected by power outages in Austin, Texas?Here’s what you can do to stay safe
AFD responds to multiple fires overnight
Austin firefighters were called to 10 building fires overnight, including two caused by downed power lines, the department said in a tweet. In all, Austin Fire said it received nearly 370 arcing incidents.
Austin Airport Canceled
Austin-Bergstrom expected Friday to be a busy day, with an estimated 41,000 travelers, and urged people to arrive at the airport 2.5 hours before their flight.
As of 5:40 a.m. Thursday, airlines had canceled 84 flights out of Austin-Bergstrom and 24 were delayed, according to Flight Aware.
tomorrow:Austin area winter weather cancellations, closures, delays