UPDATE – 12:25 p.m.
Hays CISD officials continue to monitor the weather situation as the first day of school approaches.
Classes across the district are scheduled to begin on Monday.
Heavy rainfall and the potential for flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey, however, is forcing Austin area superintendents to hold a conference call Sunday afternoon. An update to the situation won't be made until after 4 p.m. Sunday, said Tim Savoy, Hays CISD public information officer.
An announcement on the status of classes will not be made before that time, Savoy said.
Torrential downpours from the storm event have forced several neighboring school districts to cancel classes Monday. Bastrop ISD and Lockhart ISD have canceled classes as a result of widespread flooding. Both Bastrop and Caldwell Counties have been declared disaster areas by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. A disaster declaration has not been made for Hays County at this time.
Hays CISD works with emergency management officials and local meteorologists to assess possible effects of weather on school operations. The district is also in close contact with Austin area superintendents.
UPDATE – 9:02 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 27
The worst Tropical Storm Harvey has to offer is now heading east, but forecasters predict more rain will continue to saturate Central Texas.
The National Weather Service is predicting Tropical Storm Harvey will continue to weaken while staying stationary near the Gonzales and Dewitt County border, according to the Hays County Office of Emergency Management. The rain event hammered Bastrop and Caldwell Counties overnight.
Hays County remains under a Flash Flood Watch and a Tropical Storm Warning until Tuesday morning.
The storm will move to the southeast Sunday and into Monday toward the gulf coast. However, the storm is also expected to move northeast again and out of the region by mid-week.
While the storm is moving toward the Houston area, the inner and outer bands of Harvey continue to spin into the Central Texas area. Hays County officials estimate an additional five to ten inches of rain could fall in the Austin area through at least Wednesday. Winds could gust up to 40 or 50 miles per hour through the morning hours Sunday.
Locally, Kyle and Buda city officials were busy overnight as moderate to heavy rains hit the region. LCRA rain gauges on Onion Creek at Buda have received close to 10 inches of rain over the past 48 hours. A rain gauge on the Blanco River at Kyle received closed to eight inches of rain.
In Buda, officials were busy evacuating structures that were threatened by flooding on Bluff Street. Clay Huckaby, Buda Fire Department chief, said the department evacuated its Main Street station on FM 2770 around 11:30 Saturday. The Fire Department also helped evacuate senior citizens at the Onion Creek Village apartments.
Multiple roads and low water crossings are still closed across Hays County. Click here for a list of closures.
Rainfall in Hays County over the past 48 hours (amount in inches)
• Onion Creek at Buda – 9.64
• Manchaca 4 West – 7.67
• Blanco River at Kyle – 7.35
• Driftwood 4 SSE – 6.91
• Dripping Springs 5 SSE (north Gatlin Creek) – 5.49
• Dripping Springs 4 NNE (Fitzhugh Rd.) – 5.16
• Blanco River at Fischer Store Road – 4.53
• Dripping Springs 8 W (Henly) – 4.31
• Flat Creek near Pedernales State Park – 3.89
*Information gathered from hydromet.lcra.org
UPDATE – 1:44 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 27
Locally heavy downpours, along with widespread light to moderate rain, is what Hays County's Office of Emergency Management is forecasting for the overnight hours as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to drench Central Texas.
According to weather reports. Tropical Storm Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, continues to stay relatively stationary in the Central Texas area. The resulting downpours of rain have led to flooding in areas of Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop Counties.
Hays County is under a Flash Flood Warning until 5 a.m.
According to Hays County officials, locally heavy downpours may be possible at times, along with heavier showers and thunderstorms.
An average of one to two inches of additional rainfall can be expected a most locations, according to officials. Locally higher amounts of two to three inches or more could also be possible. LCRA rain gauges have collected close to nine inches of rain in Onion Creek at Buda over the past 24 hours, while Blanco River at Kyle gauges have collected close to six inches.
Officials are discouraging travel overnight into early Sunday in areas that typically flood. Those include low water crossings and low lying areas.
High winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 30 to 40 miles per hour, will gradually decrease toward dawn.
For earlier posts on the Hurricane Harvey storm event, click here. Multiple roads and low water crossings in Hays County have also been closed.
