Tornadoes touchdown in Hill Country, flood watch for 20 counties extended

Update – 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 26:

A flood watch covering much of Texas from San Antonio to Central Texas and into the Hill County and to the east of the I-35 corridor has been extended and now expires at midnight Thursday night. In total, there are 20 counties under the National Weather Service’s watch and many of them have already seen flooding from torrential rainfall.

Impacted areas include Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Gilespie, Edwards, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Lee, Llano, Real, Travis, Williamson, and Wilson counties.

NWS advised travelers to avoid flooded roadways and not to try to cross them.

Update – Noon on Thursday, October 26:

The National Weather Service reports that storms are along the east side of the I-35 corridor and still pose a ‘low-end threat for tornadoes.” Heavy rainfall is impacting people travelling through the region.

Social media users posted about flooded roads in San Marcos, while TxDOT’s Austin District shared a photo of severe flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

The Llano River saw severe flooding in northwest of Austin in Llano, according to a post from storm chaser Will Leverett.

Original Story:

The storms passing over Central Texas have seen multiple tornadoes touch down in the area, with the National Weather Service noting a continued threat along the I-35 corridor, as well as to the east of it as the storm moves in a north-north east direction.

The Guadalupe County Texas Emergency Management and Fire Marshal confirmed in a Facebook post that one tornado touched down in Mustang Ridge, a rural town 10 miles south of Austin with parts of it in Caldwell, Travis, and Bastrop counties. 

A resident shared a video with KXAN Broadcast Meteorologist Sean Kelly of the tornado that reportedly touched down in Caldwell County.

Jeremy Davis shared a photo of ominous clouds in the Mustang Ridge area Thursday morning on X, formerly Twitter, saying “Mustang Ridge winds were insane from this.”

A video of a tornado that touched down between Lockhart and Nierderwald was sent to KXAN anchor Tom Miller.

“The water emergency caused local schools to shelter in place and a tornado warning for parts of Caldwell and Travis counties,” Miller said in the post.

Residents in the Austin-area shared their shock at the rise in tornado warnings in recent years, and the unexpected impact of the morning storms.