On Wednesday, damaging winds and flash floods caused by strong thunderstorms left thousands of people in the capital city without power. The center of the Lone Star State was hit by these storms.
The Austin Fire Department recorded about a dozen water rescues. Most of these were of people who were stuck in their cars or in places where floodwaters rose quickly.
Doppler radar says that storms could drop almost an inch of rain per hour, which can quickly flood low-lying places where drainage systems aren’t strong enough.
People who were saved after the storm were told by the fire department that all missing people had been found. Despite the dangerous conditions, no life-threatening injuries were reported.
A lot of people lost power in the area because of the strong winds that downed trees and power lines.
The gusts of wind were thought to be between 70 and 80 mph, which is the same strength as a Category 1 storm.
Utility companies say that extra staff was sent in to help assess the damage from the storm and get the power back on as soon as possible.
Crews from Austin Energy are trying to fix the power problems caused by the bad weather. Every crew that is ready is in service. Very bad weather had strong winds, hail, and lightning that broke tree limbs and damaged electrical equipment. Austin Energy is putting its emergency plans into action so that it can check the system and fix the problems. At this point, there is no estimate for when power outages caused by the storm will be fixed. Many thanks for your time. Austin Energy said, “We are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to restore power to customers who can safely receive it.”
Along with the heavy rain in Austin, there was flash flooding in San Antonio, especially along the busy Interstate 35 area.
The San Antonio Fire Department says that at least eight water rescues were done, but no one was hurt.
NOAA data shows that flash flooding is the most dangerous weather-related event in the United States, killing an average of 127 people each year.
The NWS says that a foot of floodwater is enough to take away a car and that just 6 inches of fast-moving water is enough to knock an adult off their feet.
The agency often says, “Turn around, don’t drown.” This phrase refers to the dangers of driving through water whose depth you don’t know.
The clouds have cleared up as of Wednesday night, but it could rain again until the end of the week.
“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
