Flooding closes Barton Springs Pool

AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) - The heavy rains and flooding Thursday night forced the city of Austin to temporarily close Barton Springs Pool.

Stacy Pool will open early on Monday to accommodate Barton Springs Pool patrons.

The rains that soaked much of Central Texas and the Hill Country on Thursday will likely raise the levels in Lake Travis by up to two feet in the coming days, the Lower Colorado River Authority said Friday.

"As of 8 a.m. Friday, Lake Travis had risen almost three-quarters of a foot from the overnight rains," LCRA said in a news release.

"But LCRA cautions residents along the lakes, Colorado River and tributaries to pay attention to weather conditions, as Friday’s forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of rain for the region. With much of the region already saturated, any additional rains could easily turn into dangerous runoff."

After the night of rains, the weather radar was clear by Friday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to cancel the Flash Flood Watch.

The storms, which were moving east, dropped 2.7 inches of rain at Camp Mabry in Central Austin on Thursday. That broke the rainfall record for the day.

The former record was 2.05 inches, set in 1943.

More than 4 inches of rain fell near Harper in Gillespie County. In the metro area, just more than 2.5 inches of rain fell in Pflugerville.

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The upper-level, low-pressure system over West Texas will move across North Texas Friday. That will keep a smaller chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast.a.m. Friday, all road closures listed by the Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have been lifted.

Energy outages and road closures

By 3:30 a.m. Friday, all road closures listed by the Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have been lifted.

As of 11:30 p.m. Thursday, there were about 200 customers without power with repairs needed at about a dozen locations. Power was restored to the majority of customers in the FM 620/Anderson Mill/Hudson Bend areas by 11:15 p.m.

Austin Energy had five repair crews and six tree-trimming crews in service. All power outages should be reported by calling 512-322-9100.

Meanwhile, 450 Pedernales Electric Cooperative customers were without power at the peak of the storm at 10 p.m. Thursday.

Statewide perspective

The scene in Austin overnight was played out all across much of Texas. The Associated Press reported Friday morning that thousands of homes and businesses have lost electricity as thunderstorms swept through parts of Texas.

CenterPoint Energy reported about 7,300 customers in the Houston area without power Friday. The National Weather Service expected more rain by afternoon.

About 3,000 Austin Energy customers lost electricity overnight during storms, but utility officials say that number had dwindled to a few dozen by Friday morning.

Oncor  reported nearly 1,900 customers without power Friday in the rainy Dallas-Fort Worth area, plus Central Texas and the Midland-Odessa area.

Authorities say an apparent tornado touched down in the Southeast Texas town of Weimar late Thursday. Eight people in a trailer in a school parking lot were slightly hurt. More than two dozen cars of a freight train derailed amid the strong winds.

Thursday night's storms

The severe weather Thursday night was part of battering system that hammered parts of the Hill County and spawned tornadoes east of the KXAN viewing area.

Emergency crews were also dispatched to a few locations because of reports of motorists being trapped in flooded cars, but the occupants were able to get out unharmed. Police were reportedly blocking off streets with low water crossings late Friday night.

Heavy rains pelted areas around Fredericksburg and Kerrville, dumping more than two inches in some parts. High winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes will remain in the forecast through the night. 

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Earlier in the day on Thursday, the system also brought tornado sightings to Gonzales County east of San Antonio early Thursday afternoon. They were described as "rope tornadoes" because they were comparatively slim. No damage was reported.

To the east on the Colorado County community of Weimar, a tornado near the local high school was strong enough to derail a train and damage an athletic field scoreboard. No injuries were reported.

The storm reached the Austin area with fury, then calmed in some areas. In northwest Travis County, small hall pelted tops, lawns and cars. Flashes of lightning brightened the night sky, but the accompanying thunder was comparatively muffled around Ranch Road 620 and Anderson Mill Road.

No reports of damaging winds or large hail were reported in the area.

Because rain totals were expected to average two to four inches -- with up to six inches in localized areas, officials were warning motorists and others that area