Austin, TX
Central Texas school officials prepare for possible freezing temperatures next week
Frigid air to send temperatures plummeting
Arctic air will expand across much of the United States into the weekend, resulting in some of the coldest conditions since last winter with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures well below zero.
Austin area school officials are monitoring an arctic blast that’s predicted to plummet temperatures to dangerous, subfreezing conditions in Central Texas early next week, and they’re preparing their campuses for the possible extreme weather.
Districts likely won’t make decisions about delayed or canceled classes on Tuesday until after the weekend, but officials are advising parents to stay tuned to their district’s social media sites for information. Students are scheduled to be off Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Austin’s high temperature Sunday is forecast just above freezing, with a low of 21 and a 40% chance of freezing rain at night, according to the National Weather Service. Monday’s high is forecast at 30, with a low of 14. There’s a 30% chance of freezing rain Monday before noon.
Austin weather: Freezing rain could cause dangerous road conditions in Austin on Monday, NWS warns
On Tuesday, the high is forecast at 33 and the low at 14, with temperatures rising well above freezing Wednesday with a high of 45 and a forecast low of 32, according to the weather service.
Are schools in Central Texas closed Tuesday?
As of Friday, most Central Texas school district officials remained in a holding pattern by keeping an eye on the weather and waiting to make decisions on any potential school closures.
Officials in the Dripping Springs district will check their buildings Monday and early Tuesday morning to make sure conditions are safe for students to return to classes, spokeswoman Jennifer Edwards said.
Rain, which could freeze roads when temperatures are subfreezing, is one of the biggest factors school districts consider to decide whether to delay the start of classes or cancel them altogether.
Texas freeze tips: How to stay safe and avoid the ER during Austin’s cold weather
“The precipitation causing dangerous driving conditions is generally our key indicator whether we plan to close or delay with cold weather,” Hays district spokesman Tim Savoy said.
In the Lake Travis district, maintenance staff plans to scatter salt on sidewalks in case of wet weather and prepare buildings for subfreezing temperatures, said spokesman Marco Alvarado. Workers will winterize the toilets in portable restrooms and wells, shut down the irrigation to campuses and shutdown water to the district’s non-insulated buildings, such as the football press box and band shed, Alvarado said.
More: Texas is preparing for arctic blast. Here’s how state is helping cities, counties respond
Officials are asking parents and guardians to check their child’s school or district website Monday for more information about any potential closures or delayed school start times Tuesday.
Check back with the American-Statesman over the weekend and Monday for updates on school closures.
William “Bill” B. Moriarty, of Austin, Texas, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 73, following an extended battle with cancer. A devoted partner, father, brother, uncle, an…
WIMBERLY, Texas – The names of all five people killed in the Central Texas plane crash late Thursday night have been released.
Plane crash victim names
The latest:
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the names of the five victims in the Wimberly, Texas crash are as follows:
- Justin Appling (pilot)
- Hayden Dillard
- Seren Wilson
- Brooke Skypala
- Stacy Hedrick
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators are on scene and serving as the lead investigative agencies, DPS said in their Saturday release.
What we don’t know:
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
Fatal Texas plane crash
The backstory:
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra says first responders received the call just after 11 p.m. April 30 about an aircraft down in the Wimberley area.
The crash happened in a wooded area in the 200 block of Round Rock Road, near the area of Ledgerock Road and FM 2325, northwest of Wimberley. The NTSB says the crash happened at around 11:03 p.m.
A post-impact fire destroyed the plane, says the NTSB.
According to FlightAware, the plane was on its way to New Braunfels from Amarillo.
The aircraft has been identified as a Cessna 421C that had five people on board. All five are confirmed dead.
A preliminary investigation shows the plane was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, but there is no indication of a mid-air crash. A second plane traveling in the same area landed safely in New Braunfels.
Flight tracking data shows the plane had a normal takeoff, climbing to 17,400 feet, but just before 11 p.m., something went wrong. The data showed the plane suddenly started dropped, plunging more than 5,000 feet per minute. Within minutes, radar contact was lost.
The Source: Information in this update comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Five people were killed when a small private plane crashed and caught fire near Austin, Texas, according to state and local officials. A pickleball club identified the victims as members who were traveling to a tournament.
The crash happened at about 11:05 p.m. on Thursday in the Wimberley area, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and Hays County officials. The FAA said the aircraft was a Cessna 421C.
Sgt. Billy Ray with the Texas Department of Public Safety said all five people on board were killed, including one pilot and four passengers. He also confirmed that the plane caught fire after the crash.
The Amarillo Pickleball Club identified the victims as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling and Hayden Dillard. The club said they were members of its “Amarillo pickleball family” and were traveling to a pickleball tournament when the crash happened.
“Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family,” the club said in a statement. “Please keep their precious families in your thoughts and prayers.”
Fire and EMS personnel remained at the crash site through the early morning hours, according to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra. Preliminary information indicated the aircraft was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact.
Becerra said there was no indication of a mid-air collision. A second aircraft that was flying nearby landed safely in New Braunfels, a city northeast of San Antonio.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
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