Severe weather continues to slam multiple Central Texas cities, and Austin is no exception. The Capital City experienced a downpour of hail on Thursday afternoon, April 30, as the National Weather Service continues to issue storm warnings for regions across Texas.
At around 1:39 p.m. on Thursday, the NWS’ Austin/San Antonio office posted on X about a severe thunderstorm warning being in effect in Austin and two Austin-area suburbs: Lakeway and Buda, Texas. The warning is in effect until 2:45 p.m. local time.
Winds of up to 60 mph are expected, and quarter-sized hail has already been seen falling across the area, including in South Austin. Gold ball-sized hail was reported at well-known areas like Zilker Park on Barton Springs Road, as well.
The NWS also put a flood watch in effect for Thursday and into Friday, May 1. Forecasters are expecting multiple rounds of rain showers and storms through the night and into the morning, which may cause “isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas, and other poor drainage areas,” according to a social media post by NWS Austin/San Antonio.
The increase in humidity due to recent rain, along with smoke from fires, has led to the creation of hazy skies in Austin and other Texas cities, as well.
The heavy rainfall has led to the closure of certain roads in the Austin area, some of which are prone to flooding:
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add road closures.