Widespread thunderstorms that were drenching North Texas, the Hill Country and the Panhandle-Plains were also causing flight disruptions at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as skies darkened over the capital city Thursday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for AUS until 5:15 p.m. Thursday, with a medium chance of extension. The ground stop applied to flights into Austin from parts of West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, meaning those flights would be held at their origin points until the order was lifted.
Arriving flights were expected to be delayed by 32 minutes on average, with some delays lasting more than an hour. According to FlightAware, 63 inbound and 54 outbound flights had been delayed in Austin as of 4:20 p.m. Seven flights were canceled.
The disruptions came as rainfall moved into the Austin metro, with locally heavy rain, isolated to scattered thunderstorms, and flash flooding expected across the area. The strongest rainfall was expected to affect Austin around 7 p.m. A flood watch is in effect until 6 a.m. Friday for much of Central Texas.
“Moisture has been steadily streaming into Central Texas since Monday, and we now have abundant moisture in the atmosphere as a strong weather disturbance moves across the Lone Star State,” wrote American-Statesman meteorologist Mary Wasson. “This will produce a line of moderate to heavy rain, along with the potential for embedded strong to severe storms capable of producing large hail and strong winds.”
The weather caused widespread travel disruptions in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, with more than 1,000 flights delayed or canceled between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field on Thursday afternoon. Ground delays are in effect for both airports until 11 p.m., with delays averaging more than two hours.