Winds only getting worse; snow emergency for Austin

Published 10:15 am Thursday, December 20, 2012

Let it snow — and blow

: Jason Richard shovels out a path in front of his business Austin Acupuncture this morning as season’s first big snow storm sweeps through Austin.

: Felix Curtis scoops out his driveway as the season’s first major storm sweeps through Austin Thursday. Even though the snow was light it didn’t stop Curtis from wishing for a snowblower, but “You take the good with the bad,” he said.

: A front-end loader clears the lot next to Aldi Food Market Thursday morning.

The bulk of the snow may have already arrived, but the chaos isn’t over yet, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds were gusting from 20 to 35 mph as of Thursday morning, and they could reach speeds of 40 mph, blowing snow into roadways throughout the day. The Austin area had already received as much as 7 inches of snow as of Thursday morning; however, NWS officials in La Crosse, Wis., say the storm system should taper off by this evening with 1 inch of snow still possibly on the way.

“Things will begin to settle down over night,” said NWS Meteorologist Brad Adams.

Still, the travel outlook is poor and may become worse throughout the day. Law enforcement and NWS officials advise no travel throughout Thursday.

“We’re still under a blizzard warning through tonight at midnight,” Adams said.

The high temperature for Thursday may reach mid 20s, and the overnight low may dip to single digits. Adams said the storm system should move out of the area overnight, as well, and Friday’s conditions should be significantly better.

“Tomorrow will be a much better day as the winds diminish and the sun comes out, but right now we’re not recommending travel,” Adams said.

Snow emergency in Austin

The city of Austin is now under a 72-hour snow emergency, as well. Residents must park on the even-numbered sides of their blocks on even-number days, and on odd-numbered sides on odd-number days from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. the following morning.

While residents may be enticed to park in areas that snow plows have cleared, Police Chief Brian Krueger urges them to stay on the proper side of the street.

Furthermore, no parking is allowed between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. in business areas, such as midtown Austin, Sterling Shopping Center, the Hormel Foods Corp. plant area and east side business area.