Austin Weather Alert: Record-Breaking Heat and Late-Day Storms—Your Hour-by-Hour Forecast & Safety Tips

Central Texans are sweating through another steamy August afternoon as a Heat Advisory blankets Austin and surrounding counties. The National Weather Service warns that the heat index could top 108 °F in spots while actual highs hover between 97 °F and 101 °F, thanks to thick Gulf humidity pouring into the metro area. At the same time, a weak tropical disturbance sliding inland from the Gulf is tossing widely-scattered downpours across the I-35 corridor. Radar has already clocked quick half-inch bursts of rain, and storm chances rise to 30–40 % during the late afternoon and again before dawn Saturday. A few lucky neighborhoods could snag one to three inches of welcome rainfall, but forecasters emphasize that most locations will stay mainly hot and muggy. Weekend outlook • Saturday: Intervals of sun, clouds and pop-up thunderstorms. Afternoon highs near 96 °F, but the sticky air will make it feel like 103–106 °F. A low-end flash-flood risk lingers in spots that see repeated downpours. • Sunday: Drier and sunnier behind the disturbance. Expect a quick warm-up to 99–100 °F with only a 10 % shower chance. Seven-day trend Early next week starts mostly rain-free and sizzling—triple-digit readings are likely Monday and Tuesday—but another uptick in moisture could shave a few degrees off the thermometers by mid-week. Right now the best chance for more widespread showers and storms looks to arrive Thursday, nudging highs back into the mid-90s and offering a brief break from the relentless heat. How to stay safe in the Austin heat • Hydrate frequently and limit strenuous outdoor activity to morning or evening hours. • Never leave children or pets in parked vehicles. Cabin temperatures can soar past 120 °F in minutes. • Check on elderly neighbors and anyone without reliable air-conditioning. Lake Travis, Barton Springs and area splash pads are expected to be busy as Austinites hunt for relief. If you’re headed outside, lather on broad-spectrum sunscreen, grab a wide-brimmed hat and keep an eye on the sky—thunderstorms can build quickly in this tropical pattern. Drought update Despite scattered storms, much of Central Texas remains in moderate drought. Any rain that falls this weekend will help, but water conservation measures stay in effect citywide. Officials urge residents to follow their assigned watering days and fix leaky sprinklers to stretch supplies through the late-summer heat stretch. Bottom line Austin weather will seesaw between sweltering sunshine and hit-or-miss downpours over the next several days. Keep the umbrella and the water bottle close—Central Texas summer isn’t done with us yet.