Austin and its stellar park system were just ranked the fifth-best in Texas, according to the newly released ParkScore Index.

Every year, land conservation nonprofit Trust for Public Land rates the park systems in the 100 largest American cities with regard to their accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

On a national level, the best park systems are located in Washington, D.C. (No. 1); Irvine, California (No. 2); Minneapolis (No. 3) and St. Paul (No. 4), Minnesota; and Cinncinati, Ohio (No. 5).

Austin’s No. 47 ParkScore ranking in 2026 is a solid improvement over last year’s No. 54 rank.

The organization attributes much of the city’s progress to numerous recent new parks in South Austin and downtown, which have dramatically increased the percentage of residents that live within close proximity of a park — a crucial metric in the report’s methodology. Currently, 76 percent of Austinites live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared to 68 percent last year.

“Ten years ago, only 48 percent of Austin residents lived within a 10-minute walk of a park,” a release said. “The city’s dedication to opening new parks in park-deficient neighborhoods is paying off.”

Austin also spends far more to maintain its park system — a three-year average of about $236 per resident — than the national average $154 per resident. The Austin City Council is currently considering a $260 million bond investment that would benefit the local park system and Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Elsewhere in Texas, Plano and Frisco in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex boast the best park systems in the state.

Molly Morgan, the Texas State Director and Associate Vice President of Trust for Public Land, said in the release that Texas’ high-scoring performance in the annual index has proved that it is making park accessibility a statewide priority.

“Cities across the Lone Star State are making serious investments, opening new parks, partnering with school districts, and closing gaps that have existed for decades,” Morgan said. “They’re showing what’s possible when Texas gets serious about parks.”

Morgan added that there’s still more work to be done to increase park accessibility to the 9 million Texans that don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk of their homes.

Here’s how the rest of Texas stacks up in the national ranking:

• No. 13 – Plano
• No. 30 – Frisco
• No. 38 – Dallas
• No. 45 – Arlington
• No. 58 – Fort Worth
• No. 61 – San Antonio and El Paso (tied)
• No. 64 – Garland
• No. 69 – Houston
• No. 71 – Irving
• No. 72 – Corpus Christi
• No. 77 – Laredo
• No. 96 – Lubbock

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Severe thunderstorms are moving through Central Texas Thursday evening. Here is the latest forecast from the First Warning Weather team.

Here are the main headlines:

Thursday

9:04 p.m.: KXAN viewer Tiffany Morgan sent in this photo from Pflugerville.

8:29 p.m.: KXAN’s Andy Way is in Georgetown and sent in this photo of the orange sky.

8:14 p.m.: KXAN’s Madison Myers is in Marble Falls tracking the storms and sent in this video.

8:00 p.m.: See Austin area rainfall totals here.

7:30 p.m.: Low Water Crossing #6 7748 Spicewood Springs Rd in Austin is closed.

7:22 p.m.: Oncor is reporting a power outage in Taylor affecting almost 1,500 customers. The full Oncor outage map can be found here.

7:11 p.m.: Austin Energy is reporting one power outage affecting 1,500+ customers in west Austin, north of Emma Long Metro Park, in the Glenlake neighborhood.

7:06 p.m.: Multiple road closures are being reported in Marble Falls.

• 800 Blk Ave L  Between Broadway St. & Ninth St.
• 1300 Blk Broadway St (Childress Park) Between Ave L & Ave N
• 800 Blk Main St. Between Broadway St. & Ninth St.

6:49 p.m.: A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for northwestern Blanco, southwestern Burnet and southeastern Llano until 9:45 p.m. Life threatening flash flooding is possible with this storm.

• ASU is on a nine-game winning streak, including a Big 12 tournament championship.
• Coach Megan Bartlett believes the team is playing with incredible momentum and confidence.

Momentum is not tangible. It is not something that can be picked up and felt. It cannot literally be seen, but while hard to grasp and seize, momentum is certainly building in Tempe.

No. 19 Arizona State softball (44-16) is preparing to head to the Austin Super Regional in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament to take on No. 3 Texas (42-10), with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line. It’s a homecoming for coach Megan Bartlett, who coached at Texas before moving to ASU.

Ahead of last week’s Bryan-College Station Regional, after shocking everybody by winning the Big 12 tournament, Bartlett said to The Arizona Republic, “When you have momentum at your back in the postseason, you become real dangerous, real quick.”

Those words proved to be prescient. 

ASU opened up the Bryan-College Station Regional with a run-rule win over McNeese. In the next game, ASU beat No. 15 Texas A&M, coached by former ASU coach Trisha Ford, 4-3, setting up a potentially decisive game in a rematch.

ASU softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament

After an 11-13 regular season, Arizona State softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament. Next up is the Bryan-College Station Regional.

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Then came redshirt senior Brooklyn Ulrich. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ulrich uncorked a titanic grand slam – ending the game right there, 9-1, and sending ASU to the next round.

Just like that, the Sun Devils have become real dangerous, real quick.

Sun Devils underdogs again — and that’s OK

“They just keep doing their thing,” Bartlett said May 20. “People keep asking, ‘What’d you do with these kids?’

“Nothing. It was the same message over and over again. We got healthy, they put the pieces together. At that point, it’s been a lot of confidence and belief. They’re certainly playing with some incredible momentum at their back right now.”

Since losing three straight to Texas Tech in the second-to-last series of the regular season late last month, ASU has won nine games in a row, including the takedown of Texas Tech to win the Big 12 tournament.

The temperature is quickly rising in Arizona, with the end of spring and the start of summer looming. But that’s not the only thing getting hot.

Arizona State softball thrives with Red Mountain alum Brooklyn Ulrich

Arizona native Brooklyn Ulrich talks about her time growing up at Red Mountain and her journey to playing at Arizona State.

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“We feel really confident going into the weekend,” said junior infielder Katie Chester, who hit a two-run home run in the first game against Texas A&M. “We’ve been saying, ‘The Devils are getting hot.’ And we got hot at the right time in the season.”

Despite the confidence built over the past few weeks, ASU is still an underdog. Texas is the defending NCAA champion, coming off ending Oklahoma’s dynastic run of four consecutive NCAA titles.

ASU is trying to use the outsider tag to its advantage.

Brooklyn Ulrich exemplifies ASU’s personality

“We know we’re the underdog going in,” Chester said. “We have nothing to lose. We just go in and play how we play. That’s why we’ve been winning all the games we have.”

For Ulrich, a Mesa native who attended Mesa Westwood and then Red Mountain, this is a moment that she was told wasn’t possible. 

As a kid, she hoped to attend ASU. There’s even a photo of a young Ulrich, sporting a Mesa Mountain View shirt, along the fence at an ASU game. But Ulrich was told by Ford’s Sun Devils coaching staff at the time that she wasn’t good enough to play at ASU.

Ulrich shifted her plans and decided to attend Marshall, where she played for the next four years. When she went into the transfer portal for her final season of eligibility, she was the first player Bartlett targeted. 

A homegrown talent shining for the hometown team could have a far-reaching impact for Bartlett to retain in-state athletes.

“We would love all those Brooklyns to just stay home from the get-go,” Bartlett said. “BK is such a proud Sun Devil. This was the dream from when she was little. We were so thrilled to get her. She’s a super resilient kid. She’s been a tremendous asset. We want those superstar, Arizonian kids to stay home. Be the next BK.”