For the past week, local forecasters had been predicting bad weather for Saturday. A fast-moving storm came through in mid-afternoon, but that turned out to be just a gentle warm-up for the evening’s activities.

Accompanied by tornado and flash flood warnings, a dangerous thunderstorm ripped through downtown around 9:30 PM. This was the most violent storm that we’ve seen since moving here over four years ago. Lightning immediately followed by thunder. Rain falling sideways. Streets full of water. Windows rattled by the wind. The Austin-Bergstrom Airport reported gusts up to 75 mph.

This morning we learned that the storm caused power outages, downed trees, and widespread flooding in Central Texas, especially along the Blanco River in Wimberly and San Marcos. We didn’t see any major damage in downtown. Lady Bird Lake was full of debris, but not flooded. Surprisingly, boats were not banned from the lake, although the swimming portion of Monday’s Life Time Tri CapTex has been canceled. Another storm is predicted for Memorial Day, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings…

© Austin Downtown Diary, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Austin Downtown Diary with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.