Austin, Travis County leaders talk weather preparedness ahead of winter season

Abigail Jones
·1 min read
2

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County and Austin leaders discussed the different ways they’re getting ready for the upcoming season of winter weather.

They held a news conference Friday morning on the start of meteorological winter, which lasts through February. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson led the remarks by sharing how this is part of an effort to communicate more clearly about preparations the city is taking as well as what neighbors can do to plan ahead of colder weather.

DETAILS: NOAA updates December, winter forecasts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, predicted in an updated version of its winter weather outlook that almost all of Central Texas will be in the “wetter than normal” category for the winter precipitation forecast. Parts of the far western corner of our viewing area have dropped into the “equal chances” category with no clear signal on precipitation.

Texas has experienced impactful winter weather events over the last few years with significant freeze events in February of this year and during the same month in 2021.

During this year’s freeze, Austin experienced major power outages that affected thousands of residents and took roughly a week to fully resolve.

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