City of Austin

Weather Update
Temperatures across the region will fall back below freezing after sunset tonight. Any moisture left from the melting during the day will refreeze quickly overnight and into the morning. Temperatures are expected to climb above freezing late morning tomorrow.

Given the forecast, the City Manager is announcing that we will delay opening City facilities two hours from regular opening hours of operation on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

• Critical employees should plan to telework on Tuesday morning and arrive to their worksite when their facility opens. Department directors have the authority to adjust flexible work schedules by designating Tuesday as a full telework day if necessary.
• Essential employees should report to work as identified by their departments and City management. Department directors have the authority to adjust staffing levels and work schedules to meet the needs of residents when City facilities open for business.

City Facilities & Services
Austin Resource Recovery
Curbside collections services will be delayed by one day this week. Trash, recycling and composting collections will "slide" forward and collections will take place the day after the regularly scheduled collection day. Collections for on-demand bulk, brush and household hazardous waste appointments will also be delayed by one day. Monday collections will take place on Tuesday, and so on. Carts, bulk and brush should be left at the curb to allow crews to catch up throughout the week. Sign up for reminders to receive updates about changes to your services at austintexas.gov/MySchedule.

Cold Weather Shelters
Cold Weather Shelters will continue operating 24 hours until Wednesday morning and are expected to resume normal CWS operations Wednesday evening. Please note:

• For sheltering tonight, embarkation is available until 8 p.m. at One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs Rd.)
• For sheltering Tuesday and Wednesday night, embarkation is available at One Texas Center from 6-8 p.m.

Austin Public Library
All library locations are scheduled to open with a two-hour delay at 11 a.m. except the following facilities, which will remain open to serve as Warming Centers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

• Central Library – 710 W. Cesar Chavez St.
• Terrazas Branch – 1105 E. César Chavez St.
• Little Walnut Creek Branch – 835 W. Rundberg Ln.
• One Texas Center- 505 Barton Springs Rd. (open until embarkation ends at 8 p.m.)

Austin Aviation
The airport remains open but still encourages all travelers to check flight status with their airlines before arriving. An open house event scheduled at Carver Branch Library on Wednesday has been canceled. A new date and time will be announced soon.

Austin Animal Services
Animal Services will be open to the public for regular hours tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. Animal Intake will be strongly managed for emergencies only. The shelter is extremely over capacity with very few kennels to place dogs or cats. Call 3-1-1 to report stray or injured animals.

Since Thursday, Austin Animal Services had 85 animals go to foster homes. 50 animals were adopted. There were 112 applications for fostering received but not all were able to be processed due to the tight turnaround with the incoming weather. 

There were over 70 animals received through Intake during this same time period though 26 of these are APD Cruelty cases. The 3 dogs found outside the church along with 23 other dogs were brought from APD Cruelty investigations (19 of the 23 are from a single case). All of these dogs are in protective custody at Animal Services while APD investigates their owners which means we will care for them until APD closes the cases on the owners. For more information on any of these dogs, reach out to APD. 

Austin Development Services
Any in-person services before 10 a.m. at the Permitting and Development Center (PDC) will be rescheduled or converted to virtual. 

If you have scheduled an in-person meeting at the PDC before 10 a.m., a staff member will be in touch to reschedule. All inspections scheduled for yesterday will be prioritized on Tuesday. Please contact your reviewer or inspector if you have any questions.

If your home or business was damaged due to winter weather and you urgently need to complete a repair, visit our Emergency Repairs webpage for tips on getting started. You can begin emergency repairs immediately to prevent further harm or safety risks. Repairs may still require a permit or inspection to ensure they meet City Code requirements.

Austin Parks and Recreation
Most recreation and senior centers will open two hours after their normally scheduled times. Parque Zaragoza, Montopolis, Turner-Roberts, Northwest, George Morales and Gus Garcia recreation centers will remain closed to the public.

Zilker Botanical Garden and Austin Nature and Science Center will open at 11 a.m. on January 27. Please note that we anticipate significant ice on stone paths and in shaded areas until temperatures are well above freezing.

Year-round pools and Golf ATX course staff will require time to access and de-winterize their facilities. Pool and course facility opening times are to be announced.

Cemeteries will open at regular hours while Cemetery Administration Offices will open on a two-hour delay.
The re-activation of water amenities at parks will begin on Tuesday afternoon and continue into Wednesday, January 28.

Austin Water
After freezing weather, if you turn on a faucet and discover only a trickle of water or no water at all, you may have ice inside a frozen pipe or a frozen water meter. Take the following steps to safely address this issue and get your home’s water running again:

• Turn on all faucets to see which might be frozen. If none of them work, the frozen pipe is probably near the main water pipe entering your home, from the meter by the street. If none on the same floor work, the frozen pipe is probably between floors. If none in the same room work, the frozen pipe is probably between the main water pipe entering your home and where the water enters that room.
• Find the frozen part by tracing the affected pipe for bulges, frost, or ice. If there are no visible signs, try to find where the pipe feels coldest.
• Thaw the pipe slowly. Turn on any faucets with even a trickle of water. Completely open the cold-water faucet closest to the frozen pipe to relieve pressure. Open cabinets to allow warmer air to circulate and wrap a towel soaked in warm water around the frozen pipes. You can use a hair dryer or portable heater, but DO NOT use electrical appliances if there is standing water. NEVER use an open flame.
• If water starts flowing, check your pipes for leaks
• If these steps don't work, contact a licensed plumber or your property manager/landlord.

Austin Water crews are working 24/7 to respond to all service calls across the city. By following these steps, you can protect your home and help us serve as many customers as possible.
Need Help?

• 24/7 Water Emergency Response: 512-972-1000, option 1 · Track leaks and outages with the My ATX Water Customer Portal or Austin Water's Leak and Outage Map · Check our Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube pages for updates

Austin Energy
Austin Energy is experiencing isolated outages from the weekend’s winter storm. In some locations, icy roads and limited access are slowing down restoration. Crews continue to work through these conditions to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Because of the continued cold weather, we may see additional outages. 

City of Austin Utility Customer Service Centers will have a delayed opening at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Customers can make utility payments at coautilities.com or by calling 1-833-375-4919 for a Quick Payment. Additional payment options: coautilities.com/go/paymentoptions

Continue to monitor AustinEnergy.com/Alerts, X, Facebook and Instagram for updates and more information.

Austin Transportation & Public Works
The City's Street and Bridge Operations division has about 50 staff working to monitor and treat critical roadways and bridges. Priorities include responding to emergency operations requests, supporting CapMetro’s priority transit network, and continuing to monitor and retreat critical roadways and elevated structures as conditions require.

Crews have been working around the clock and are focused on elevated structures, transit routes and known trouble spots across the city.

Overnight and into tomorrow, crews will stay deployed to continue monitoring and retreatment efforts, along with critical infrastructure and emergency operations requests.

Austin-Travis County EMS is experiencing an increase in call volume related to slips & falls on ice. If you go outside, remember to dress in warm, layered clothing, wear sensible footwear, take small steps, and watch where you’re walking. Since Saturday, ATCEMS has responded to 37 cold-related illness incidents and 32 collisions.
 
Between 9 a.m. on Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, Austin Police responded to 967 total calls for service, including 69 crashes and 91 traffic hazards.