Austin, TX
Winter weather preparations at AUS
In the aviation industry, winter poses unique challenges for airlines and airports. The season can be intense, with a wintry mix of wind, snow, and ice, affecting all forms of travel. This demands meticulous preparation and coordination between the airport, FAA, airlines, and other partners, with one goal in mind: ensure a safe and efficient operation on the ground and in the sky.
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), the Department of Aviation is responsible for making sure the airport property, like roadways, runways, and the terminal itself, are prepped and ready to welcome people and planes.
While airlines are responsible for de-icing their aircraft, our teams prepare for and respond to ice accumulation that leads to slippery walkways, roadways, runways, and any other impacts to the airport infrastructure.
Here’s a look at what goes on behind the scenes to maintain the integrity of our airport infrastructure during a winter weather event at AUS:
Ready, set, snow
Once the weather forecast is delivered, usually by the National Weather Service, the AUS Emergency Management team begins prepping and sending out the news for situational awareness among the Department of Aviation. As the weather develops, this team continues to deliver timely and important updates that typically include the expected dates and timeframes of the weather, temperatures, potential risks for personnel/airport operations, freezing patterns, safety tips, and more. This helps key teams like our maintenance teams (Building, Airline, and Airside!), Airside Operations, Terminal Operations, and Guest Services divisions understand what to prepare for.
Runway brr-owsing
While the Department receives these updates, our around-the-clock Airside Operations team is inside and outside of the airport getting down to business.
Here’s what they do:
- Monitor the weather conditions that lead to notices and spreading critical information to teams across the airport.
- Generate reports of the condition of airport runways, taxiways, and aprons, which pilots use to make informed decisions about their landing and takeoff procedures.
- Assess the temperature of our runways.
- Inspect the runways and taxiways for snow and ice accumulation.
- Respond to reports by the arriving pilots about braking on the airfield – if braking is ranked lowed by pilots, within a certain threshold, the runway is closed and the Airside Operations team goes out to inspect it for ice and friction.
- Coordinate the deployment of resources when multiple areas of the airside area are affected.
- Lastly, this team ultimately holds the authority to issue a Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) that would close the airfield due to safety concerns about managing the severe weather.
One thing super important to know is that it is *very rare* to issue a runway closure. The most recent time this happened, and the only time in recent memory, was due to over 6 inches of actual snow – not just ice – accumulation on the runways during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Since then, we’ve invested in dedicated snow removal equipment to keep at least one of our two runways open for flights.
Sn-overnight stay at AUS
During these events, there is a “home base” for employees on the landside and airside teams (and other teams as needed) to stay the night if the weather is bad; there are “bunk rooms” with beds, chargers, and closets. There are also cots and pillows for when those bunk rooms are full. These are the folks tending to the runways, taxiways, roadways, and elevated surfaces used by staff and the public, and of course, need a place to rest without having to get on dangerous roadways. The airport also has sleeping arrangements for passengers in the terminal, should they be stranded.
De-ice, ice, baby
Members from our various Maintenance teams deploy when ice accumulates on the airfield and landside. They tend to the affected, icy area by applying a de-icing chemical known as E 36. Our teams can’t prevent ice from accumulating on the runways or other surfaces; their job is to quickly respond to the ice once it starts to accumulate.
Ice that accumulates on the runways and taxiways as well as ice that accumulates on the airplanes need to be addressed as soon as it occurs, otherwise, it could be dangerous. It’s worth mentioning that the airport is only responsible for de-icing the airfield (runways and taxiways) and roadways, while the airlines are responsible for de-icing the aircraft with their own de-icing chemicals and equipment that they store on-site. AUS is also responsible for applying “Dolomite,” which is a carbon-based mineral anti-icing agent, and sand to roadways and elevated surfaces to create traction and reduce slipping.
Our airport deploys two, very large liquid dispensing trucks to areas (designated by priority, with the runway at the top) to apply a de-icing chemical E 36. The amount of de-icing chemical depends on the severity of the ice accumulation, but typically, hundreds of gallons are applied to the area and that application process is repeated. We hope it gives you great relief to know that our teams have enough de-icing chemicals for the next few years – and since the chemical itself doesn’t have a shelf life and won’t freeze, it’s easy to get a lot of it, store it and then apply it whenever and wherever it’s needed.
As our Maintenance teams are applying the de-icing chemical, our Environmental Affairs team is keeping a close eye on the application of the E 36 to make sure excess fluid is handled properly and to flag for the Maintenance teams if too much E 36 is being used.
In the unlikely, but not impossible, event that our airport receives snow, we have snow removal equipment to plow and remove snow from runways, taxiways, roadways, and more.
Icy conditions? We’re still flyin’ high
The most common question we get during winter weather events is understandably, “is the airport still open??” and the answer is more than likely going to be an emphatic “Yes!” paired with “…but check with your airline for the latest flight information”. Your airline is always going to have the most updated information regarding your flight’s status and how winter weather here in Austin, or in other parts of their route network, may change your flight schedule.
Now that you know what goes on behind the scenes and how our teams prep and respond to ice (and even the rare, uncharacteristic Central Texas snow), we hope you can rest easily knowing that there is a team of hardworking airport professionals working around the clock to keep our airport infrastructure open and ready for you, your airline and your flight.
Austin, TX
Lawsuit: Brianna Aguilera’s parents allege underage alcohol service at Austin tailgate contributed to daughter’s death
The parents of Brianna Aguilera have filed a lawsuit against two organizations, alleging that they served alcohol to their underage daughter which contributed to her death in Austin.
Before Aguilera fell to her death from the Rio 21 Apartments in West Campus, the lawsuit states that she attended a tailgate at the Austin Blacks Rugby Club’s facility, organized by the UT Latin Economics and Business Association.
Both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
>> What we know about Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera’s death in Austin
Even though the lawsuit states Aguilera was “noticeably intoxicated” at the tailgate, her parents argue that the defendants continued to serve her alcohol.
According to court documents, Aguilera allegedly began stumbling at the tailgate and needed help standing at times. At some point, the lawsuit said she fell into the woods and lost her phone.
After leaving the tailgate at approximately 10 p.m., court documents state Aguilera died around two hours later.
The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of negligence and gross negligence for serving alcohol to Aguilera despite her age and allegedly overserving her.
In the suit, Aguilera’s parents demanded a trial by jury and sought at least $1 million plus interest, costs and punitive damages.
Aguilera’s parents also seek damages for wrongful death, citing the defendants’ alleged misconduct.
Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s representing the Aguilera family, commented on the lawsuit in a Tuesday news conference.
Watch the full news conference below:
“Brianna was obviously overserved,” Buzbee said. “Even the police have concluded that she was overserved at that tailgate. She was not 21.”
Buzbee also stated that the Austin Police Department has allegedly told multiple witnesses not to talk with him and Aguilera’s parents.
“They told the three, the three individuals that were in that apartment that night when this young girl died. They told them, do not speak to Brianna’s mother or her lawyers,” Buzbee said.
He said that the lawsuit could provide a way for the witnesses to eventually come forward with information.
“By filing this lawsuit, not only will we hold accountable an entity or entities that were involved in overserving Brianna and other minors, but we will also be able to subpoena individuals and documents and video and data so we can continue our investigation,” Buzbee said.
KSAT’s sister station, KPRC, has reached out to both the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association for comment on the lawsuit. This story will be updated once the organizations provide a statement.
More coverage of this story on KSAT:
Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
Austin, TX
Cedar pollen eases, but record heat builds across Central Texas
Although record-breaking heat and spring-like warmth dominated the first few days of the new year, cooler — but still warmer than normal —temperatures settled in to start the first work week of 2026.
The heat will ramp up yet again Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures about 20 degrees above the normal early-January high of 62 degrees.
Expect a blanket of low stratus clouds and some patchy dense fog Tuesday morning, but skies should begin clearing around lunchtime.
“In the meantime, a surface trough (of low atmospheric pressure)/dry line will push from the southern Edwards Plateau into the I-35 corridor, bringing temperatures into the lower to mid-80s,” meteorologists with the National Weather Service wrote in a forecast discussion Monday. “It is going to be very warm for this time of year, and some daily high temperature records could be broken.”
Those temperatures could rival record highs at both Austin climate observation sites, Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the standing record is 84 degrees, set in 1989.
Behind the dry line Tuesday, drier air will move into Central Texas, leading to a slightly cooler start Wednesday under mostly to partly cloudy skies.
Morning temperatures will dip into the 50s around sunrise before climbing into the upper 70s to mid-80s by the afternoon. Those highs would surpass the record of 80 degrees set in 2008 at Camp Mabry.
Temperatures the rest of the week will remain above normal with mostly cloudy mornings but sunny afternoons.
A cold front is forecast to move across the region later in the week with a slight rain chance Thursday and Friday, but most of the rain will fall north and east of Austin. However, cooler and more seasonable weather is expected this weekend.
This past weekend, Austin experienced the highest cedar pollen counts so far this season with a count of 3,200 grains per cubic meter Saturday and a peak of 4,000 grains per cubic meter on Sunday. However, the count dropped to just over 1,000 grams per cubic meter on Monday. Humidity has been on the rise in the past few days, and winds have been much lighter. Those factors have helped “settle” the cedar pollen for the time being.
Luckily, the winds have turned southerly and are much lighter, so the pollen has settled a bit. A small chance of rain on Thursday and Friday should also help dampen cedar pollen before it becomes airborne. However, above-normal temperatures will allow tree pollen cones to continue opening, setting the stage for another pollen surge when the next breezy cold front arrives.
Austin, TX
Venezuelan oil reboot not expected to spur windfall in Texas
Texas reacts to Venezuelan leader being taken into custody
With former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro out of power, President Trump said he wants to reboot the oil industry in Venezuela. That idea has raised questions about whether it could cause a price spike at the gas pump and a downturn in the Texas oil patch region.
AUSTIN, Texas – With former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro out of power, President Trump said he wants to reboot the oil industry in Venezuela.
That idea has raised questions about whether it could cause a price spike at the gas pump and a downturn in the Texas oil patch region.
Now, a spike at the pump and a production slump in the Texas oil patch may not happen this year, but with oil prices down, a budget crunch for state lawmakers may be waiting when they return to Austin in 2027.
What they’re saying:
The situation in Venezuela is creating a lot of political uncertainty, but a Texas energy expert said he is not expecting that uncertainty to cause an oil patch crash or a gas pump pike in 2026.
Prices at the pump are low and despite some recent big swings, up and down, analysts say 2026 could see the lowest prices since the pandemic. That prediction has people like Dale Owens cautiously optimistic.
“Things change so drastically nowadays. I mean, look what’s happening with the government, so anything can affect the price. But right now I’m really happy that it’s stable,” said Owens.
There are big reasons for that local gas price stabilization, and it predates the leadership change in Venezuela, according to Ed Hirs, an Energy Fellow at the University of Houston.
“The first is that the president has asked MBS (Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) and OPEC nations to continue pumping a pace. Number one. Number two, this helps hamstring the Russian economy and its war effort. And that’s also one of the goals of not only the European Union, but of the Trump administration. And number three, we’ve got the midterm elections coming up,” said Hirs.
The price of a barrel of oil is expected to increase slightly because of the uncertainty regarding Venezuela. Texas crude oil production, according to an update released Monday, was stable in December, but state data also showed drilling permits for 2025 were at 369 and that’s down from 459 in 2024.
“When President Trump took office, oil was about $80 a barrel, today it’s under $60 a barrel. We are the high-cost producers in the global commodity oil market, and the cost of drilling these wells has gone up by between 5% and 12%, primarily because of Trump’s steel tariffs. Not only does the imported steel now cost a lot more, but domestic producers raise their So the producers in West Texas and across the Permian Basin are getting squeezed by much lower revenues, $20 a barrel less and much higher cost. It’s not a good capital investment for Wall Street,” said Hirs.
Dig deeper:
The oil industry remains a big part of the Texas economy and the state budget. State lawmakers will return to Austin in 2027 to crunch numbers for a new two-year budget.
“I think they need to be looking at the budget. So the state comptroller needs to be running the numbers now based on lower oil revenues, not only for state lands, for example, for the universities, but for the state tax receipts. And that applies to the counties and cities that rely on these revenues to keep their budgets balanced. It’s going to be lower for longer,” said Hirs.
There are also doubts about whether the Texas refineries will get a financial windfall if the Trump Administration is able to reboot the oil industry in Venezuela. There are about six refineries in Texas and Louisiana that can process the heavy crude that is located in Venezuela.
“Well, it might help keep them open. But Lyondell just closed down a 100-plus-year-old heavy crude refinery on the Houston Ship Channel because it just doesn’t make any sense to reinvest in it. And it was going to require $750, $800 million of new capital investment just to keep the plant operating at par,” said Hirs.
What’s next:
Stocks for several oil companies did increase on Monday. Chevron, at one point, had a 10% stock price surge, mainly because Chevron is the only U.S. company operating in Venezuela. Other energy-related companies also saw an increase, like Exxon, as well as industry suppliers like Baker-Hughes and Halliburton.
The action on Wall Street came after President Trump said he wants energy producers to pay for the oil production rebuild. Hirs described the administration’s plans as being “naive.”
Past attempts to rebuild another country’s oil infrastructure seem to back up the doubts raised by Hirs. In 1989, after the Soviet Union collapsed, companies like Exxon went in to rebuild — only to get kicked out later by the Russians. Hirs also noted the rebuilding effort in Iraq, started by President George W. Bush, hasn’t returned production there to pre-war levels. And it’s the same story for Libya, which was done under President Obama.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski and previous coverage
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