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Austin weather radar update: Severe thunderstorm moves through city; tornado possible?
The storm is bringing heavy rain, frequent lightning, small hail, and strong wind gusts.
A severe thunderstorm is moving through the Austin area, with reports of brief funnel clouds but no tornado threat to Central Texas on Saturday.
NWS alert
The storm is bringing heavy rain, frequent lightning, small hail, and strong wind gusts.
According to the latest alert from NWS Austin/ San Antonio, "Isolated storms continue around the Austin area, producing frequent lightning, small hail, and gusty winds. Brief funnel clouds are possible along the leading edge of the storms, but these are unlikely to pose a threat. When thunder roars, stay indoors."
What meteorologists say
Meteorologist Avery Tomasco said there is no tornado threat in Central Texas.
He wrote on X, "To reiterate, there is no tornado threat today in Central Texas. This was a very unique situation, but these pop-up storms can briefly spit out hail and gusty downburst winds before they rain themselves out."
Also Read: Mineral Wells: Tornado damage reported near Weatherford, Texas as hail batters region
Funnel cloud spotted in Hutto
A funnel cloud was reported in Hutto, about 27 miles northeast of Austin. Tomasco said the sighting was not a tornado.
He wrote, “NOT A TORNADO, but likely a short-lived gustnado or land spout that formed as two outflow boundaries collided and briefly increased wind shear near the surface.”
Texas weather forecast for Sunday
Texas is expected to see another round of severe thunderstorms on Sunday, as a cold front moves south across the state, according to Texas Storm Chasers.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued an Enhanced Risk (Level 3/5) for parts of Central and North Texas, including the Big Country, Concho Valley, Hill Country, I-20 corridor, DFW Metroplex, and Waco/Killeen areas. The main threats are very large hail (over 2 inches in diameter) and damaging straight-line winds, with gusts possibly exceeding 70 mph as storms organize into clusters or lines.
While the tornado threat remains low, heavy rain could lead to localized flooding. Storms are forecast to develop first in West-Central Texas during the afternoon and spread eastward through the evening and overnight hours.
Residents are advised to secure outdoor items, park vehicles in garages, and monitor weather alerts closely, especially those with Mother’s Day plans.
