AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- After a morning of bitter cold, spotty freezing rain, and even some snow flurries across Central Texas, winter precipitation has moved out but the worst of the cold is still to come.
A Wind Chill WARNING is in effect for the Austin metro until 9 AM Tuesday... then a Wind Chill Advisory through 10AM Wednesday...
A Hard Freeze WARNING is in effect until 10 AM Wednesday...
Temperatures at Camp Mabry bottomed out at 16 degrees Monday morning, smashing the old record of 19 degrees set back in 1944. Those temperatures were struggling to rebound Monday afternoon, though temperatures aren't expected to climb back above the freezing mark until Tuesday afternoon.
Roadways remained open for much of the morning commute, although some slick spots were reported. A significant crash involving an 18-wheeler on the SH 130 toll road prompted Williamson County officials to shut the southbound mainlanes down in the 8 a.m. hour, though crews were able to clear and re-open the road soon thereafter.
According to Austin Police, officers have responded to 35 collisions since ice began accumulating. EMS medics have dealt with 17 calls for environmental exposure since midnight Sunday.
The impacts from Monday's wintry weather were likely most felt at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where more than 90 flights were canceled as of midday Monday. AUS officials said the airport itself remains open with normal operations; impacts elsewhere across the country are causing trouble for some airlines.
ERCOT, the state's electric grid operator, says it will once again ask Texans to conserve power Tuesday morning between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., when conditions on the grid are expected to be tight once again. The agency says it was able to maintain normal operations Monday morning during a similar conservation appeal.
Austin Energy officials were reporting localized outages around noon that were affecting up to about 1,500 customers.
With the wintry precipitation coming to an end by Monday afternoon, the coldest air of this arctic blast is still on its way. Wind chill values Monday night into Tuesday morning are expected to fall between 10 degrees below zero and 10 degrees above across the area.
