The Good and Bad of the Rain

At last, Austin got some of the rain it so desperately needs, courtesy of last night's dramatic thunder storm. The 5.66 inches dumped overnight is a new local record for the date, but with it comes the cleanup and rescue efforts.

According to Austin Energy, 50 circuits tripped but were reset during the storm, and some poles and lines came down, mostly around the Highway 290 area. 5,000 homes and businesses initially lost power, but that's down to 400 as of 11am. If you know of any outages, call the utility at 322-9100.

There are still also a handful of road closures ongoing, due to flooding: In Eastern Travis County, Littig Lane, Bitting School Road and Ross Road are all submerged as of midday, as is 6345 Joe Tanner in South-West Austin. Follow the road closures at the City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

If you're flying rather than driving, Austin Bergstrom International Airport is open but suggests that travelers check their arrivals and departures pages for any delays.

The National Weather Service is still predicting a 20%-30% chance of rain through to Thursday evening, but nothing as serious as last night's deluge.