More than 59,000 Austin Energy customers were left in the dark on Wednesday night as powerful storms rolled across Central Texas, bringing damaging wind, hail, and intense lightning. According to Austin Energy's website, the outages began after 9:30 p.m. and affected numerous areas in the Austin metro due to broken tree limbs and storm-damaged electrical infrastructure.
The energy provider reported no estimated timeline for power restoration, stating on its outage map, “We are working 24/7 to restore power to customers who can safely receive power.” Crews are actively responding to emergency calls and working through the night in an effort to bring relief to impacted neighborhoods.
Wednesday marked the third straight day of severe weather in the region, following continuous downpours earlier in the week. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. for areas including Round Mountain, Lakeway, Bee Cave, The Hills, Cypress Mill, Henly, Pedernales Falls State Park, Briarcliff, and Point Venture. Additionally, the counties of Blanco, Burnet, Hays, Llano, Travis, and Williamson were placed under a thunderstorm watch, which also expires at 10 p.m.
Austin residents are urged to stay indoors and away from downed power lines, and to report outages using the contact options provided by their respective power providers. Residents can check outage maps and report outages via:
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Austin Energy: Outage Map & Reporting or call 512-322-9100
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Pedernales Electric: Outage Map & Reporting or text “outage” to 25022
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Oncor: Outage Map & Reporting or call 888-313-4747
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Xcel Energy: Outage Map & Reporting or call 800-895-4999
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North Plains Electric Cooperative: Outage Map or call/text 806-435-5482 / 800-272-5482
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Greenbelt Electric Cooperative: Call 800-527-3082 or local offices in Wellington, Dodson, Hedley, and Clarendon at 806-447-2536
As utility crews work through the storm's aftermath, Austin officials continue to monitor the situation and advise residents to prepare for possible extended outages and exercise caution when navigating through affected areas.
