AUSTIN, Texas — Severe thunderstorms moving through Central Texas Tuesday night left thousands without power as strong winds snapped trees, caused flooding and triggered severe weather warnings across the region.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning remained in effect through 11:30 p.m. for much of Central Texas, excluding Caldwell and Fayette counties.

At 8:59 p.m., CBS Austin Meteorologist Avery Tomasco warned a new severe thunderstorm warning included all of Travis County and most of Hays County, with the potential for damaging 70 mph wind gusts.

“Power outages and tree damage are likely. The wind will hit before the rain does,” Tomasco posted on social media. “Get inside and have necessary electronics charged.”

Earlier in the evening, Tomasco warned the primary threat would be damaging straight-line winds exceeding 60 mph, along with pockets of quarter-size hail.

Viewer video from Georgetown showed heavy rain and intense winds moving through the area as storms pushed across Williamson County.

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Power outages quickly mounted throughout the night.

As of 10:30 p.m., Oncor reported about 11,222 customers without power across the CBS Austin viewing area, including roughly 2,000 outages in Williamson County. Crews were working to restore power in Georgetown and Round Rock.

By 10:37 p.m., Austin Energy reported 52 active outages affecting 5,490 customers across Austin.

{p}By 10:37 p.m., Austin Energy reported 52 active outages affecting 5,490 customers across Austin. (Photo: Austin Energy Outage Map){/p}

By 10:37 p.m., Austin Energy reported 52 active outages affecting 5,490 customers across Austin. (Photo: Austin Energy Outage Map)

Pedernales Electric Cooperative also reported approximately 4,759 customers without power as storms moved through the Hill Country and surrounding areas.

The storms also brought reports of snapped tree limbs, localized flooding and hazardous driving conditions across Central Texas.

Tree in Round Rock struck down by lightning. (Photo: Monica Guerrero)

Tree in Round Rock struck down by lightning. (Photo: Monica Guerrero)

Officials are urging residents to avoid flooded roads and stay indoors while severe weather moves through the region.

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CBS Austin is encouraging viewers to submit storm photos and videos through Chime In as crews continue monitoring conditions overnight.