City, County Leaders Warn Austin Area to Get Ready for Winter Storms

Austin and Travis County administrators advise residents to prepare for winter now, despite the warm Christmas forecasts. Central Texas can quickly experience severe cold and power outages.

City and county officials stated Monday that while the National Weather Service predicts nice Christmas weather, Austin usually sees its worst winter storms in January and February.

"Extreme winter weather can impact our community, and it can impact it very suddenly," briefed Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.

Officials advised planning to prevent danger during cold periods, which strain infrastructure and emergency services. Travis County Judge Andy Brown warned residents to prepare for long-term interruptions and to be prepared for emergencies.

“Make sure you have an emergency plan,” Brown warned. "Having a plan is crucial to staying healthy, comforting your family, and responding quickly to emergencies or other disruptions."

It was about health and safety. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Chief Robert Luckritz recommended that residents stock up on pharmaceuticals and medical equipment for seven days.

Lucky continued, “You should have a minimum of seven days of medication available to you,” and oxygen users should have extra tanks.

During freezes, city officials warned residents to protect the “four P’s”—people, pets, plants, and pipes. Watson warned of service delays.

Winter will bring outages. The mayor said it is unavoidable, and crews will restore power quickly.

Luckritz advised homeowners to layer up, centralize activity, and use additional heating sources cautiously. He recommended against poor heating methods that increase the risk of fire and CO.

The Austin Fire Department echoed concerns. Assistant Chief Jeff Kennedy said the department has responded to more than 100 heating equipment fires between December and February over the past five years.

“Test smoke and CO detectors,” Kennedy said. The heater should be three feet from anything that can burn and switched off while unattended.

The officials also identified vulnerable resident resources. In the mid-30s, cities open cold-weather shelters. Shelters served 143 people on Sunday, Dec. 14, with two families in motels, according to city records.

Register for emergency notifications at warncentraltexas.org and download the Ready Central Texas mobile app for weather and emergency updates.