The first serious storm system of meteorological spring for Central Texas will arrive this weekend, bringing the potential for strong thunderstorms, large hail, gusty winds, heavy rainfall and a noticeable drop in temperatures.
Austin, TX
Texas weather forecast: Here’s the hour-by-hour rain timeline for Austin
On Saturday, a large swath of Texas is under a level 2 of 5 risk of scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and hail.
Looking at the overall setup, Texas is sandwiched between two storm systems that originally developed from the same large trough of low atmospheric pressure in the jet stream. On Friday, that system split with one piece moving northeast before becoming an upper-level system of low pressure over the Great Lakes, while the other retrograded southwest toward Baja California.
Article continues below this ad
Saturday’s surface map shows all the weather features driving Texas weather through the weekend.
Saturday’s weather setup
Our weather on Saturday will be influenced by the upper-level low pressure over the Great Lakes, which is dragging a strong cold front southward into Texas. Across Central Texas, the combination of a dry line separating dry and humid air masses and the approaching cold front will provide enough atmospheric lift to trigger scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon.
Ahead of the front, a deep pool of moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico will continue to build, increasing atmospheric instability and helping storms develop and intensify. This setup creates the potential for severe afternoon thunderstorms capable of producing large hail — more than 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, or around golf-ball size — along with strong wind gusts.
Article continues below this ad
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS: Know these cloud formations to prepare for the Texas severe weather that’s headed our way
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed all of Central Texas under a level 2 out of 5 risk for scattered but brief severe thunderstorms on Saturday.
The severe weather threat will decrease with the passage of the cold front, but the cut-off system of low pressure near Baja California will begin to play a larger role in our weather. Atmospheric disturbances rotating around this system will move into Texas beginning Saturday night. It will continue to harass Texas with multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms into early next week.
Article continues below this ad
Rainfall totals will add up quickly, and the National Weather Service gives Central Texas a 90% chance of receiving at least an inch of rain from Saturday through Sunday.
Hour-by-hour forecast
Saturday morning will start off very muggy across Central Texas, with overcast skies and light southerly winds. Dew point temperatures will range from the mid-60s to near 70 degrees, indicating a very moist atmosphere. Meanwhile, much drier air will sit just west of the Hill Country behind the dry line, where significantly lower dew points will be observed.
Dew point temperatures at 10 a.m. Saturday shows a sharp boundary between moist air and much drier air across Texas. Along this boundary, showers and thunderstorms will begin developing.
What are dew point temperatures? It is a reliable indicator of how much moisture is in the air and how comfortable it feels outside. When dew points climb above 65 degrees, conditions begin to feel humid in Central Texas, and values approaching 70 degrees can feel downright oppressive. While dew point is not a direct measurement of total atmospheric moisture, it is a strong indicator of how much moisture is present in the air.
Article continues below this ad
By noon, scattered showers and thunderstorms will begin developing in the Hill Country along the frontal boundary, where atmospheric instability will be greatest. In Austin, a few spotty showers are possible, but the heavier storms are expected to arrive later.
Winds will remain light out of the southeast along and east of Interstate 35, and temperatures will reach their warmest point of the day around lunchtime, ranging from the upper 60s to the upper 70s.
Texas temperatures will climb into the 70s to near 80 degrees around lunchtime, then steadily drop through the afternoon behind the cold front.
The cold front will arrive in the Austin area during the early afternoon before pushing toward Southeast Texas during the late afternoon and early evening. The front will provide the necessary lift in the atmosphere to produce more widespread thunderstorms. This will be the period when the threat of severe weather is highest, with large hail, damaging winds and minor flooding as the main concerns throughout the afternoon.
Article continues below this ad
Keep in mind that if you have outdoor plans, you should be prepared to seek shelter as soon as you see lightning or hear thunder.
Scattered rain and thunderstorms will move into the Austin metro area on Saturday, with some storms capable of producing gusty winds, frequent lightning and brief heavy downpours.
Temperatures will climb above March’s average high of 70 degrees ahead of the front, but once the front moves through, they will drop quickly. Readings in the mid to upper 70s around 2 p.m. will fall into the upper 50s and low 60s by 7 p.m.
Winds will also become gusty behind the frontal boundary, with some locations seeing gusts of 25 to 30 mph. These stronger winds are a sign of a tightening pressure gradient, which occurs as air pressure changes across the region.
Article continues below this ad
Isolated wind gusts in Texas could reach 50 to 60 mph with any strong thunderstorm that moves through on Saturday. Otherwise, wind will increase behind the front, with gusts near 30 mph.
The front will lose momentum on Saturday night and stall across South Texas. Rain chances will continue overnight and into Sunday as several atmospheric disturbances rotate toward us from a closed system of low pressure system out to the west.
Temperatures will run cooler than normal on Sunday before warming back into the 70s and 80s next week.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
FILE – LinkedIn logos are displayed on an iPhone and computer screen. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the professional networking platform misleads consumers with advertising and profiting from misleading or fake job listings, otherwise known as “ghost jobs.”
LinkedIn investigation
In this photo illustration a Linkedin logo seen displayed on a mobile phone. (Photo Illustration by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
What we know:
Texas announced on Tuesday it has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job listing verification practices and its Premium subscription services.
The investigation centers on whether LinkedIn violated Texas’ consumer protection laws by promoting paid subscription services while allegedly failing to disclose that some job listings on the platform may not actually be representative of hiring opportunities.
What is a ‘ghost job’?
An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of a LinkedIn logo displayed on a computer screen. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 1 billion registered users worldwide.
A “ghost job” generally refers to a position advertised online that either is no longer available or that an employer has no immediate intention of filling. The attorney general’s office cited independent studies estimating that ghost jobs account for between one-fifth and one-third of online job postings.
Texas AG targets Premium Subscription Fees
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What they’re saying:
According to the office of the attorney general, LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job listings on its platform. Ken Paxton’s office alleges that the company’s marketing for its Premium subscription services does not disclose that a significant number of postings could be inactive, unfilled or not reflect genuine employment opportunity.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in a statement. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings.”
Texas officials said LinkedIn’s Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99 per month, respectively, and are marketed to jobseekers looking to improve their employment prospects.
What’s next:
The investigation does not include any formal allegations of wrongdoing, and no lawsuit has been filed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
-
Utah2 minutes agoMuslim man stabbed at Utah mall over his religion, authorities say
-
Vermont8 minutes agoBen & Jerry’s Foundation says it will shut down amid legal dispute with parent company – VTDigger
-
Virginia14 minutes agoDrought emergency declared for parts of Virginia; governor warns of water restrictions
-
Washington20 minutes agoTrump fires WA US Attorney within an hour
-
Wisconsin26 minutes agoWisconsin Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for July 15, 2026
-
West Virginia32 minutes agoConcerned West Virginians speak out against proposed Monongalia County power plant – WV MetroNews
-
Wyoming38 minutes agoJuly 15 recap: Wyoming news you may have missed today
-
Crypto44 minutes agoLuno Pushes South Africa to Rewrite Crypto Rules Through Parliament, Not Proclamation
