Baseball-sized hail and flooding leave over 68 000 without power in Austin, central Texas

Severe thunderstorms impacted central Texas on May 28, delivering intense rainfall, large hail, and damaging winds to the Austin metropolitan area.

The Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS responded to multiple water rescues, including incidents on North Loop Boulevard, Guadalupe Street, Airport Boulevard, and Steck Avenue. One recovery operation was initiated, though it is unclear if it was due to a fatality.

According to the National Weather Service Office in Austin/San Antonio, some local rain gauges recorded 51–76 mm (2–3 inches) of rainfall within one hour in the early morning. Total rainfall amounts of 76–102 mm (3–4 inches) were reported in the region.

Hailstones, some measuring up to 7 cm (2.75 inches) in diameter (comparable to the size of baseballs), led to extensive property damage, including shattered windows, dented vehicles, and damaged infrastructure. Residential areas in northern and eastern Austin reported widespread damage to roofs, skylights, and exterior siding, with insurance claims expected to rise substantially in the coming days.

Significant damage was also reported at the University of Texas’s UFCU Disch-Falk Field, where the outfield and stadium facilities were struck by hailstones measuring between 4.4 and 7 cm (1.75 and 2.75 inches) in diameter. In downtown Austin, glass panels near the top of the Texas Capitol rotunda were broken during the storm.

Numerous vehicles were damaged across the city, with reports of cracked windshields and body dents concentrated in areas where the largest hailstones, up to 7 cm (2.75 inches), were observed.

Flooding caused multiple road closures, including parts of Interstate 35. The intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Brook Hollow Boulevard was flooded, with several vehicles struggling to pass through the floodwaters. Road closures were also reported in Bexar County, including the San Antonio area.

A wind gust of approximately 124 km/h (77 mph) was recorded at Bergstrom International Airport, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.

More than 68 000 Austin Energy customers were without power at approximately 19:45 local time on Wednesday. Power outages were primarily caused by a combination of hail damage, flooding, and strong winds, which downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment across the city.

“We are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power from the sudden and severe weather on Wednesday. All available crews are in service, and Austin Energy has activated its emergency operations. This severe storm brought high winds, hail, and lightning that damaged electrical equipment and brought down whole trees,” said Austin Energy in a statement on Wednesday night.

“Most outages are expected to last overnight, and some restoration activities may extend for multiple days,” the statement added.

This marked the third consecutive day of thunderstorms sweeping through Central Texas since severe weather began affecting the region on May 26.

Update

The storm led to the death of one person who had been reported missing in the rising waters.

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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