Austin-area school districts are canceling classes Monday after Central Texas woke up Sunday to an icy crust coating roads and surfaces, making travel dangerous.
At least one person is confirmed to have died from the extreme cold, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said during a press briefing Sunday morning. A man was found dead in the parking lot of a permanently closed Shell station along the southbound I-35 service road near 38 1/2 Street.
More than 200 flights are canceled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. One of two runways is closed so crews can focus their wintry precipitation removal efforts.
The National Weather Service said frozen precipitation has ended across the area, but hazardous road conditions are expected to continue as temperatures remain in the 20s Sunday.
The city of Austin said much of the region received up to about a quarter-inch of ice and sleet overnight, with some areas west of I-35 and in the Hill Country seeing even higher amounts.
Tanya Rodriguez covers her face while taking her morning walk as temperatures drop below freezing in Buda.
Austin leaders pleaded with people not to drive.
“It’s very difficult for me if not impossible to predict when [roads] will all be entirely safe,” said Richard Mendoza, the city’s top transportation official. He pointed to forecasts saying above-freezing temperatures weren’t expected until Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s too early to tell, but we will continue to treat and monitor our roadways,” he said.
An extreme cold warning remains in effect through noon Monday, with wind chills expected to dip into the teens and single digits, and potentially below zero in parts of the Hill Country.
Dozens of flights canceled
Nathan Bernier
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KUT News
More than 200 flights were canceled Sunday at Austin’s airport.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport remained open but the runways and taxiways were covered in slush. Makeshift snowplows — trucks with shovels attached to the front — were clearing concrete surfaces. But airlines were forced to cancel at least 202 flights Sunday.
“We’re starting to see those flight cancellations roll in for tomorrow,” ABIA deputy chief Sam Haynes said during a Sunday morning media briefing. “It’s really imperative that you stay in close contact with your airline.”
Schools closed Monday
Austin ISD canceled classes and all school activities Monday. So did a long list of area school districts including Eanes, Georgetown, Manor, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Wimberley, Hays and San Marcos.
The University of Texas at Austin announced it will be closed through Monday. Austin Community College is closed Sunday and Monday. St. Edwards, Huston-Tillotson and Concordia universities canceled Monday classes and events, too. The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired will be closed Monday and Tuesday.
CapMetro to offer limited service Monday
CapMetro suspended all service Sunday, but the transit agency will have a delayed start Monday, Mayor Kirk Watson said. Limited service will start at noon.
The first Red Line trains will leave Howard at 12:29 p.m. and downtown Austin at 12:22 p.m. CapMetro Access trip start at noon. All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista. Bikeshare service will remain suspended Monday.
Michael Minasi
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KUT News
Alfonso stomps on an icy section of his apartment complex parking lot in east Austin.
More power outages possible
Austin Energy said crews responded overnight to isolated outages related to the storm. By early Sunday afternoon, the public utility’s outage map showed about 2,500 customers without electricity. That number has fluctuated throughout Sunday and dropped to about 55 customers later in the afternoon. Austin Energy said outages could increase in the coming days as ice melts.
“We are concerned that over the coming hours and maybe even a couple of days, some of the trees that are stressed, maybe they’re dead trees that could still fall over if they’re weighted down with ice and there are wind gusts that come through,” Austin Energy General Manager Stuart Reilly said.
“We do expect there to be some sporadic issues,” he said. “We have not seen a lot in terms of vegetation impacts from trees or tree limbs. There have been a few. Last night, our biggest outage impacts were actually from lightning.”
Cold shelters will remain open
Photo courtesy of Kirby Narine
Roofs and roads are covered ice in a Buda neighborhood.
The city of Austin’s 24-hour shelters will remain open until Tuesday morning. Three libraries will stay open until 5 p.m. Sunday for those trying to stay warm: the Central Library, the Terrazas Branch and the Little Walnut Creek Branch.
More than 650 people escaped the cold in city shelters Saturday night, Mayor Watson said.
While CapMetro service remained suspended Sunday, Watson said transportation was available for those needing to reach a shelter.
“We will pick you up. We’ll drive you to the shelter. We’ll feed you while you’re there, and most importantly, we’ll keep people warm and safe,” Watson said.
One city shelter on Saturday night was too short staffed to prepare enough food, said David Gray, the city’s homeless strategy officer. But now they’re good.
“Our shelter operators are prepared to provide meals for anybody in our city shelters and everybody who comes to our overnight cold weather shelters,” Gray said. He said they received additional donations from H-E-B, Walmart and individual Austin residents.
“As far as meals go, we are good to go,” Gray said.
City officials also addressed rumors circulating online about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations connected to cold weather shelters.
In a statement Saturday night, the city said they were told by regional ICE representatives that there are no operations focused on warming centers and that agents are not staging in Austin for special enforcement actions. KUT News has asked an ICE spokesperson to verify the city’s statement.
Watch Sunday’s city and county news conference below: