Austin, TX
Parts of Texas to be colder than Alaska this weekend. Here’s why
We started January with temperatures in the 70s and 80s during the first 10 days of the month. By mid-month, a couple of cold fronts moved through, bringing temperatures closer to seasonal averages in the 50s and 60s, with two days briefly reaching the low 70s.
These two winter weather events are delivering frigid temperatures not only to Texas but across the Deep South as well, with some areas seeing snowfall from Florida to the Carolinas. In fact, this past week, Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle recorded colder temperatures than Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
Well, on Sunday a flight to Juneau would likely take you to warmer temperatures than Austin.
In Juneau, temperatures on Sunday morning will be about 10 degrees warmer than their normal late January average of 24 degrees. Interestingly, they will also be seeing rain instead of snow in that region of the country because of the above-freezing temperatures.
By comparison, a dry arctic cold front moved across Central Texas late in the week, and frigid air is now settling into the region. Temperatures are expected to fall into the low 20s by Sunday morning under clear skies and light winds. For a brief time, Austin will be colder than parts of Alaska on Sunday.
Here are four typically cold locations around the world where Austin will be just as cold, or even colder, on Sunday morning:
The weather pattern across the United States has become increasingly amplified, with surges of arctic air plunging south through the central Plains and into the eastern third of the country. To analyze this pattern, meteorologists examine the atmosphere from the top down.
In the upper atmosphere, where the jet stream flows, a classic ridge-and-trough pattern is visible, with the trough extending deep into Texas.
In the middle atmosphere, temperatures are well below freezing, with the freezing line reaching all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
In the lower atmosphere, we see actual surface temperatures across the country. The coldest air is concentrated over the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast.
Where temperatures are lowest and wintry precipitation is likely, the National Weather Service has issued numerous cold and winter weather alerts across the Southeastern United States.
Texas Capital Bank has inked a lease at 415 Colorado in downtown Austin, and is set to move its San Jacinto Center branch into the building.
The Dallas-based bank is set to occupy the entire 17th floor and parts of the 16th floor of the 47-story building, according to the Austin Business Journal. 415 Colorado is mixed-use, and its 110,000 square-feet of office space is now 50% leased. Its residential portion, over 420,000 square-feet with 328 luxury apartment units, is 86% leased.
Stonelake Capital Partners, which built and owns the building, has an office in the building. Edelman, Tree Line Capital Partners, and Valterra Partners are notable tenants at 415 Colorado, according to the outlet.
Stream Realty’s Randy Cooper and Craig Wilson represented Texas Capital on the lease, according to the outlet.
Stonelaker recently abandoned plans to redevelop 504 East 5th Street, just five blocks west of 415 Colorado. Stonelake did not comment on why it was abandoning the East 5th Street project, which used to be the site of downtown staple Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant. After scrapping the plans to build a 37-story apartment tower in 2025, Stonelake listed the half-acre property.
During the pandemic, office space in Austin saw a rush of demand from tech companies relocating from California to the Texas state capital. That has slowed, and net absorption of office space in Austin was negative in 2025.
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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.
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