Austin, TX
Arctic blast breaks energy, temperature records in Austin
Video: Downtown Austin silent as arctic blast freezes city
A winter weather advisory is in effect in the Austin-San Antonio region until noon Monday, according to the National Weather Service, with temperatures expected to remain below freezing.
City of Austin officials plan to keep warming shelters open through Wednesday morning as dangerous, subfreezing temperatures will linger into midweek.
As residents hunkered down indoors Monday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — which manages the state power grid — pleaded with Texans to conserve energy Tuesday morning. Although Austin Energy broke usage records Monday morning, officials said they didn’t expect widespread outages related to the record-breaking cold weather.
Temperatures will drop to the mid-teens in Austin both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, according to the National Weather Service, though it said chances of precipitation had disappeared Monday afternoon. A wind chill warning is in effect until 9 a.m. Tuesday and a wind chill advisory will be in effect Tuesday night until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The thermometer at Camp Mabry registered a temperature of 16 degrees, which is colder than the previous daily record of 19 degrees, set in 1944, Mayor Kirk Watson said during a Monday news conference.
More: Austin live weather updates: ERCOT asks for energy conservation Tuesday morning
The risk for frostbite and hypothermia is high in weather like this, he said.
“Please, please continue to avoid all nonessential travel and stay indoors, if at all possible,” Watson said.
Record-breaking energy demand
Austin Energy broke a record for peak demand Monday morning, when customers used 2,760 megawatts, Austin Energy General Manager Bob Kahn said. The previous peak was 2,630 megawatts, he said.
Kahn emphasized that he doesn’t expect widespread outages, such as those that in 2021 plunged millions of Texans statewide into powerlessness during a week of dangerously freezing temperatures.
The utility has experienced only minor outages, which in some cases have been caused by overloaded circuits.
“A fuse will blow,” Kahn said. “We replace that within an hour.”
High grid load
Residents should try to reduce energy use by turning the thermostat down a few degrees or using a fireplace to heat their home, Kahn said. People shouldn’t use an oven to heat their home, he said.
In case of unexpected outages, the city has identified circuits that carry noncritical infrastructure, Watson said.
More: See live map of Texas road conditions, closures as state sees freezing temps, rain
“We will try to roll those outages in a way that any one area would not have more than 40 minutes,” Watson said. “We right now do not anticipate that’s going to happen.”
As of midday Monday, utility companies in Austin, Travis County and surrounding areas had reported few power outages. Just over 99.9% of Austin Energy customers had power around 2:30 p.m., with 22 localized outages affecting about 100 customers, per the utility’s outage map. In Travis County as a whole, about 99.9% had power.
Similar power outage percentages were reported in Williamson County to the north and Bastrop County to the east.
More: How to prepare your house, pantry, car, emergency plan before arctic blast hits Austin
As of 2 p.m., about 49 inbound and 57 outbound flights, less than 19% of flights, had been canceled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to Flight Radar 24.
Icy conditions were reported on roads and highways across the region. In Georgetown, all southbound lanes of Texas 130 at the Interstate 35 entrance were closed due to a multivehicle wreck at Patriot Way.
Out in the cold
Frigid and overcast, the city was relatively sleepy on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday Monday. Shoppers shivered as they climbed out of their steaming cars at the H-E-B on Riverside Drive.
Christina Castilleja loaded bags into her car.
Her family of nine in Manor lost power during a freeze last year, so this time they vowed to prepare for cold weather, she said. They brought their generator out just in case the power went out.
More: Track outages from arctic blast in Central Texas. See Texas power outage map.
“We have to be sure that we have everything we need,” Castilleja said while putting away eggs, juice and other essentials.
Castilleja spent the days before the freezing weather donating blankets to unhoused people and planned to take chili and hot cocoa to them this week, she said.
“If we can’t handle it, imagine being out there 24 hours for days on end trying to figure out how to stay warm,” Castilleja said.
Steven Slavin, who was also getting essentials Monday morning, had spent the morning driving for a ride-hailing app.
“I’m making good money, and there’s not a lot of traffic,” Slavin said. “It’s been working out for me.”
He had made the trip to H-E-B to stock up in case road conditions became too bad to drive.
Roads and shelter
Austin and Travis County had treated several elevated roads and bridges — which are more likely to accumulate ice — with a material that reduces ice.
The city has been operating six shelters — up from the normal three — to accommodate the increased demand for indoor shelters, Watson said.
City shelters and temporary warming centers housed about 400 people and seven dogs Sunday night into Monday morning, Watson said.
City officials announced Monday that they plan to keep the shelters open through Wednesday.
“I anticipate that we will have more people that will sign up,” Watson said.
People who want to seek shelter must register at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, between 5 and 8 p.m. each day. City staffers will provide transportation from the center to shelters.
Austin, TX
Everything you need to know about Austin run clubs
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.
Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That
When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.
“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”
Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.
Austin, TX
Texas Volts begin first home slate Thursday at Dell Diamond
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Volts are off to a rough start in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, but maybe a little home cooking can help them get right.
After playing their first five games on the road, the Volts open play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Utah Talons, kicking off an 8-game homestand.
It’s the first season the Volts will call Dell Diamond home. In the league’s inaugural season last year, the original four teams competed with a touring schedule that included a stop at Dell Diamond. This is the first year that the AUSL, now a 6-team league, will play in home markets.
They have a roster peppered with local stars, including 2-time NCAA national champion middle infielder Leighann Goode from the Texas Longhorns. Aliyah Binford, a New Braunfels native, played collegiately for Ole Miss and former Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins made an appearance in the Volts’ previous series against the Carolina Blaze.
Goode said there’s been a bit of a learning curve, but she credits her teammates for helping her adjust to the league.
“This group has brought me in and taught me stuff, taken me under their wings,” she said. “They’ve done an awesome job.”
Legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the team’s general manager, and the head coach is Texas State’s Ricci Woodard.
“We’re ready to rock and roll at home,” Woodard said. “I’m anxious to see what happens now that we get to play in our own place.”
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, joined the team last weekend after a brief contract holdout.
The Volts are 1-4 this season, picking up their lone win over the Oklahoma City Spark on June 10. They’ll face the Talons in a 3-game series, the Chicago Bandits for a pair June 23-24, and finish the homestand with a 3-game set against the expansion Portland Cascade on June 26-28.
Ryan Sanders Baseball, the organization that owns and operates the Round Rock Express, is an operating partner with the Volts and an investor with the AUSL.
Austin, TX
Investigators seek clues in small jet crash that killed 1 in Texas, where bystanders rushed to help
(AP) – Investigators combed through wreckage Wednesday for clues to why a business jet crashed on a Texas highway, killing one person on board after its pilots reported mechanical problems while requesting an emergency landing at a nearby airport.
The fiery crash late Tuesday in Laredo near the Mexican border sent bystanders racing from their cars to help police rescue passengers and crew from the burning aircraft. The crash killed Joshua Baer, a leader in Texas’ technology and startup sectors, the president of Baer’s company told the Austin American-Statesman.
Video from the frantic scene showed someone trying to smash the cockpit glass with a sledgehammer, while others used makeshift levers as they worked to open the plane’s door. Local officials said a firefighter entered the smoke-filled jet to extract one person still inside after the rest had escaped.
“While the loss of life is deeply regrettable, it is nothing short of a miracle that this tragedy did not become a mass fatality event,” Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño told a news conference Wednesday.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating along with the National Transportation Board.
Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez Jr. said investigators working to reconstruct the crash were at the crash site Wednesday.
Crash victim worked to help entrepreneurs launch startups
Baer was the founder and chief executive of Austin-based Capital Factory, which helps entrepreneurs connect with investors and others to launch their businesses.
“Joshua was a fearless leader, a brilliant partner, and a dear friend to so many of us,” Capital Factory President Bryan Chambers told the Austin newspaper.
Capital Factory executives did not immediately return phone messages Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Baer lived in Austin with his wife and three children, according to his LinkedIn page. He recently taught a student entrepreneur class at the University of Texas at Austin.
“I help people quit their jobs and become entrepreneurs,” Baer said on his LinkedIn page.
In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called Baer “one of the most significant figures driving innovation and entrepreneurship across America.”
Police did not release the name of the person killed, citing a request from family members. Rodriguez said those on the plane included two pilots and three teenagers.
Pilots reported low fuel, electrical issues, airport director says
The Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet departed Tuesday evening from the Mexican resort city of San José del Cabo and was bound for Austin, Texas, the FAA said in a statement.
The plane was operated by NetJets, a company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway that lets people buy part ownership in private jets. NetJets said in a statement it was cooperating with authorities.
The jet went down at about 10 p.m. Tuesday on the Loop 20 highway, just a few minutes after its pilots radioed the local airport seeking to make an emergency landing. Their call to air traffic controllers “mentioned low fuel and a power outage,” Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez said.
“They had mechanical issues and they lost communication with the tower,” Sanchez said Wednesday, “and that’s when the accident happened.”
Dashcam video posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway and knocking down a light post before coming to a stop near the airport. The jet also barreled into a car, sending one motorist to a hospital in stable condition, said Laredo police investigator Jose Baeza.
Video posted to social media showed the plane on its side, smashed into a highway barrier with the tail ripped from the fuselage.
“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” said Zayra Garza, an esthetician who was driving her co-workers home when she came upon the crash.
Garza, who shot video of the scene as her husband ran to help, saw motorists leave their cars to try to help smash the cockpit glass. She said the plane’s door opened and three people who looked like teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot. Another crew member tried to pull out a person who seemed to be unconscious.
Smoke billowed from the plane as a firefighter climbed into the aircraft to rescue the remaining passenger. Police officers helping prop open the door had to back away as they doubled over coughing because of the intense smoke. Police said five officers were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation.
“What was worrying me was the fire,” Garza said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
This was the third significant aviation accident in as many days. A B-52 crashed Monday during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California and killed all eight people aboard, while on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.
___
Golden reported from Seattle; Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut; and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. AP journalists Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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