Austin and Travis County urge residents to stay off roads after winter storm; one exposure-related death reported

Austin and Travis County leaders on Sunday urged residents to stay home and check on vulnerable neighbors after a winter storm brought freezing rain and sleet to the region and led to one exposure-related fatality.

Jason Runyon of the National Weather Service said the overnight event produced freezing-rain accumulations ranging from a few hundredths of an inch up to about two-tenths of an inch, with sleet between about two-tenths and 1 inch. "Precipitation has ended across the region and no more precipitation is expected," he said, adding that temperatures will stay below freezing through Monday morning and that melting this afternoon could refreeze tonight.

Why it matters: Officials said the combination of ice, refreeze risk and cold overnight temperatures makes travel hazardous, keeps first responders in demand and increases exposure risk for people without reliable heat.

Mayor Kirk Watson announced the city's first storm-related fatality, describing it as an "exposure fatality" and urging anyone needing help to call 311 or 911. He said 659 clients were in shelters overnight and that six shelters were active with officials adding capacity; he asked the media to amplify shelter availability and said Capital Metro service is suspended for now, with limited service scheduled to begin at noon Monday, Jan. 26. "If you need sheltering, please, I implore you to take advantage of all the resources the city has," Watson said.

City and county emergency operations: Jim Reddick, the city's emergency management director, said the Emergency Operations Center is operating around the clock with city and county partners. He said sheltering would continue through Tuesday morning and officials would reassess operations before then. Reddick also noted outreach to vulnerable populations using registries and utility customer lists.

Travis County Emergency Management's Eric Carter echoed the shelter and travel advisories and encouraged residents served by smaller electric providers to register for outage alerts. "As Judge Brown mentioned and so did Jim and Mayor Watson, the county and our partner agencies are actively responding to this winter weather event," Carter said.

Public-safety and utility status: Assistant Chief Angie Jones of the Austin Police Department said the department logged approximately 67 collisions from noon Saturday through about 9 a.m. Sunday. Robert Lugritz of Austin-Travis County EMS said medics responded about 6:15 a.m. to the 1000 block of East 38th Street and found an adult who was pronounced dead at 6:27 a.m.; EMS personnel "presume that the cause was hypothermia," Lugritz said, but added that the medical examiner makes official determinations.

Stuart Riley, general manager of Austin Energy, said crews have done damage assessments and that the system so far appears unlikely to experience widespread outages, though sporadic outages may occur from vegetation or gusts as ice melts and trees drop limbs. "It appears that we're not going to have widespread issues, but there are going to be some sporadic issues around the system," Riley said, while noting the utility has brought in contract crews and increased mutual-aid and assessment capacity since the 2023 storm.

Airport and transit impacts: Sam Haynes of Austin Aviation said the airport is open but taxiways are slushy, the west runway was closed to concentrate clearing on an east runway that remained open, and airlines have canceled flights; he reported 115 departing cancellations and 87 arriving cancellations. Watson reiterated that Capital Metro service is suspended and will have a delayed start Monday with limited routes.

Shelter operations and community support: City officials thanked community partners for donations and support; Watson noted HEB stores and the Walmart Foundation provided meals and supplies. David Gray, director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations, said operators had adequate food supplies across shelters and credited community partners for augmenting resources after a staffing-related meal issue at one site.

What residents should do next: Officials repeated a simple list: stay off the roads if possible, call 311 for nonemergency shelter assistance and 911 for life-or-safety emergencies, check on elderly or medically vulnerable neighbors, and limit outdoor time for people and pets during the cold snap.

The briefing concluded with a reminder from Judge Brown that Travis County offices will be closed for nonessential in-person services on Monday, while emergency and essential services continue; officials said they will reassess conditions for Tuesday.