Memorial Day weekend in Austin: Here's what you need to know about weather, lake safety

Memorial Day weekend might feel more normal this year with the coronavirus pandemic in retreat, but the holiday comes with perennial dangers if you are boating, driving or staying active outside.

Here's what you need to know to stay safe in the sun, on the water and on the roads:

What's the weather going to be like?

Austin should enjoy a rain-free Memorial Day weekend with temperatures climbing only into the mid-90s, forecasters said Friday.

If you're heading out to parks, lakes or rivers — or just cooking out in the backyard, Saturday and Sunday should be sunny with high temperatures climbing to the upper 90s, according to the National Weather Service. If your festivities carry on past sunset, expect balmy nighttime temperatures to stay above the low 70s.

Memorial Day in Austin also should be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching 95 degrees. Brace for warm south winds of 10 to 15 mph that could include gusts as strong as 25 mph.

How can I be safe in the sun?

Some people think Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, but we've already recorded at least one day of 100-degree weather and humidity has made it feel even hotter. So stay hydrated, take breaks in the shade or air-conditioning and wear sunscreen when spending time outside.

More: Use hydration, common sense to protect yourself from Central Texas heat

Thermometers don’t tell the whole story, so be extra careful on humid days, which can alter our perception of outdoor heat by making everything feel hotter. The body cools itself through the evaporation of sweat from our skin, but evaporation isn’t as effective when there’s too much moisture in the air.

Watch out for dizziness, headaches, nausea and fainting. Before heat stroke occurs, there’s confusion or an altered mental state and a rapid, strong pulse as blood flow from the brain drops.

Don’t ever leave children or pets inside a car in extreme heat. Even if it’s only 80 degrees outside, interior temperatures can soar to above 110 degrees and pose a deadly risk in less than 30 minutes, forecasters say.

What will road travel be like?

If you're making a road trip, you'll be one of 2.8 million Texans that AAA Texas expects to be hitting the highway to travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend.

That number is an 5% increase over 2021, the first year that vaccines began to curb coronavirus cases, but still 7% fewer on the road than in pre-pandemic 2019.

The statewide gas price average in Texas is $4.26 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, which is $1.53 more per gallon compared to last year, but 3 cents less than last week, AAA Texas also reported this week.

“The pain at the pump is still very apparent, but the daily record-setting for the statewide gas price average has stopped, at least for now,” AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said in a statement Thursday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety through Monday will be looking for drivers who are speeding, intoxicated, not wearing seat belts or violating other laws, such as the state’s Move Over, Slow Down law that requires drivers to slow down or change lanes when encountering emergency vehicles on the roadside.

Last year, during the Memorial Day weekend, DPS troopers issued 6,513 citations for speeding; more than 1,200 citations for drivers without seat belt or child seat restraints, and made 445 arrests on charges of driving while intoxicated.

How can I be safe on the water?

Staying safe on the water during Memorial Day weekend is simple: Don't drink and drive, don't drink and drive a boat, and wear a life jacket.

If you are going boating this weekend on Lake Travis or any Texas waterway, children 13 and younger are required to wear a life jacket while out on the water and a life jacket must be available for each adult aboard a boat.

If you experience an emergency, like seeing someone who might be drowning, while out on the water this year, call 911 and throw a floatation device into the water.

Water safety: How to protect your kids from drowning in the pool, the lake — or even the bathtub

The Florida-based Water Sports Foundation, the nonprofit educational arm of the Water Sports Industry Association recommends that boaters:

• Designate a sober skipper: As in past years, Travis County sheriff's deputies will be patrolling Lake Travis and roads, looking for drunk drivers and boaters.

• Make sure equipment is in proper condition: Federal laws require that boaters replace fire extinguishers that are 12 years or older, and require that motorized boats smaller than 26 feet to use an engine cut off switch link, which stops a boat’s engine if the operator is thrown off the boat.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also is urging boaters and paddlers to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels, by cleaning, draining and drying boats and equipment every time they go in the water.

Zebra mussels and their sharp shells can damage boats and infrastructure for water supply and flood control, and harm native ecosystems, according to the agency.

Who will be allowed on the water?

Some special water safety rules will be in place over the weekend again.

Personal watercraft, including wet bikes, motorized surfboards and similar devices, will not be allowed on Lake Austin from Friday at sunset to ending Tuesday at sunrise, according to a city of Austin ordinance.

People-powered devices like kayaks, canoes and paddle boards will be allowed during the holiday weekend. Other watercraft in which users sit or stand on the device will be allowed.

“The annual ban on personal watercraft is necessary to ensure the safety of many people who use the lake and parks over the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend,” police have said.

Boaters can call 911 to report reckless people on the water or emergencies, police said.

Which Lake Travis boat ramps are open?

Little rainfall this spring in Central Texas has been available to replenished the watersheds that feed the Highland Lakes along the Colorado River, including Lake Travis. The popular aquatic playground for the region, which also serves as a water supply for communities such as Austin, saw its water elevation drop by nearly 3 feet in the past 30 days.

According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages the Highland Lakes, Lake Travis is at 61% capacity with an elevation of about 653.8 feet above mean sea level — or about 16 feet shy of the historical average for May.

The following boat ramps at Lake Travis remain closed as of Friday because of low lake levels, according to the LCRA:

• Arkansas Bend

• Camp Creek Park

• Cypress Creek

• Gloster Bend Recreation Area

• Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area

• Narrows Recreation Area

• Pace Bend-Collier Cove

• Pace Bend-Tatum Cove

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Memorial Day weekend: What to know about weather, lake safety