This burst of northern air that’s sent South Texas temperatures plummeting comes with a dark side. The entire region is under some level of severe storm risk from Austin to San Antonio to Eagle Pass, and the National Weather Service says heavy rain, large hail and lightning could all hit these cities between Friday afternoon, May 9, and Saturday morning.
Parts of South Central Texas, including the Texas Hill Country and the greater San Antonio-Austin corridor along I-35, are under a low risk of excessive rainfall. Pockets of 1 to 2 inches could douse towns and major cities, which forecasters say could lead to isolated incidents of flash flooding.
However, large hail and lightning all pose a risk to Texans as these severe storms move through.
“An isolated strong to severe storm could affect parts of the Rio Grande Plains,” the NWS Austin-San Antonio office warns. “Large hail and lightning are the main hazards.”
There’s a 50% to 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms along the Coastal Plains and I-35 corridor Friday afternoon. These odds dip slightly heading into the Hill Country, Southern Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande lingering in the 20% to 40% range.
“Large hail, strong to damaging wind guests, and lightning are the main hazards,” the national agency reports.
Just as these storm clouds pass on Friday, another cold front is slated to sweep in Sunday evening. With it, more storm clouds could be in the cards.