Austin Texas News

JARRELL, Texas — On May 27, 1997, the city of Jarrell, Texas, was hit by an F-5 tornado. That same day, an outbreak of about 20 tornadoes ripped through and demolished other parts of Texas. In Travis County, the Hazy Hills community was in the direct path of one of those tornadoes. One person died there. One resident made it out of his mobile home minutes before the tornado hit. His roommate stayed behind and…

KVUE visited the graves of the Igo, Smith and Moehring families and interviewed the woman who coordinated their burials 25 years ago. GEORGETOWN, Texas — Twenty-five years ago, the families of the 27 victims killed in the Jarrell, Texas, tornado were planning funerals and figuring out where their loved ones were going to be laid to rest.  Three families ended up together at Odd Fellows Cemetery, a historic cemetery that first opened in the early…

JARRELL, Texas — On May 27, 1997, the city of Jarrell, Texas, was hit by an F-5 tornado. That same day, an outbreak of about 20 tornadoes ripped through and demolished other parts of Texas. In Travis County, the Hazy Hills community was in the direct path of one of those tornadoes. One person died there. One resident made it out of his mobile home minutes before the tornado hit. His roommate stayed behind and…

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The First Alert Weather Team has issued a First Alert Weather Day for May 24 starting at 11:00 a.m. The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center has issued an enhanced storm risk for later today and this evening. CBSDFW.COM Strong and/or severe storms are expected to start this afternoon in counties to the northwest. Damaging winds are the primary concerns but it includes a slight tornado risk. Here is the…

When tragedy strikes, first responders spring into action. EMS workers and volunteer civilians reflected on the recovery efforts made on May 27, 1997. JARRELL, Texas — The death and devastation caused by an F-5 tornado in Jarrell, Texas, 25 years ago left first responders overwhelmed. Kevin Krienke, a commander at Williamson County EMS and a long-time Cedar Park resident, first arrived on scene after the Jarrell tornado touched down. He said basic communication was a problem….

Two longtime educators spoke to KVUE about their experiences and the resiliency of their community. JARRELL, Texas — Twenty-five years after a deadly tornado tore through Jarrell, Texas, the emotions are still raw. “The tornado came right down here,” said Drew Sumner, an athletic coach at Jarrell High School. “The weird thing was they show all this tornado damage on the TV … and there’s houses, you can see some kind of wreck. These were…

Sharrah Stingdon delivered a graduation speech days before the tornado hit the rural Central Texas town. DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — At 18 years old, Sharrah Stingdon was young, impressionable and ready to take on the world. As the 1997 valedictorian at Jarrell High School, she delivered a graduation speech just four days before a historic F-5 tornado tragically touched down. “That was basically the theme of the whole speech is just to step out with…

JARRELL, Texas — Friday, May 27, marks the 25th anniversary of the F-5 tornado that destroyed a small community in Jarrell, Texas. Twenty-seven people in the town’s Double Creek Estates were killed by the sheer strength of the storm. Men, women and children lost their lives and the entire town mourned the loss. The future president spoke to, prayed with and comforted Jarrell residents. He also surveyed the damage and destruction that the tornado caused…

JARRELL, Texas — After Jarrell, Texas, was slammed by a deadly F-5 tornado on May 27, 1997, people from near and far wanted to help. And they showed up by the bus-loads. Once the news got out that 27 people had died and dozens of homes were destroyed, people arrived to help with the cleanup efforts. But they also did so much more. Initially, one of the biggest and most immediate needs was to help…

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Warm, humid air is quickly on the return as a warm front lifts in from south Texas over the next 24 hours. With it comes the chance for scattered thunderstorms starting late tonight and continuing through the day on Tuesday. CBSDFW.COM While it won’t be raining everywhere all day, a large portion of North Texas will see rain tomorrow-tomorrow night. Showers and storms will gradually exit to the east on Wednesday…

Here are the latest updates from the KVUE Storm Team. Author: Shane Hinton (KVUE), Jordan Darensbourg, Hunter Williams, Erika Lopez Published: 11:46 AM CST March 6, 2019 Updated: 6:13 AM CDT May 23, 2022 AUSTIN, Texas — There will be multiple opportunities Monday through Wednesday for heavy rain and some strong storms. The Storm Prediction Center has placed a portion of the KVUE viewing area under a “slight” — level 2 out of 5 —…

The shelter said Saturday evening that its Parvo Puppy ICU has flooded with sewage water and it needs people to pick up parvovirus-negative dogs before 6 p.m. Saturday. If you are able to help by picking up a dog, fill out this form and head over to Austin Pets Alive!, located at 1156 West Cesar Chavez. Britny Eubank on social media: Twitter

Officials say the Sand Mountain and Slab Road fires are nearly completely contained. LLANO COUNTY, Texas — As of 6 a.m. Friday, crews continue to fight the Twin Starts fire just off Highway 71 in Llano County. It is just the most recent wildfire to start in the area since Tuesday, after both the Sandstone Mountain and Slab fires started that day. As of Friday morning, the 420-acre Twin Starts fire was 75% contained. Dozers…

There is potential for large wildfires to occur in the Western/Eastern Hill Country and Rolling Plains through May 20, including areas near Childress, Vernon, Abilene, Brownwood, Lampasas, San Angelo, Ozona and Fredericksburg.  Any new fires in grass and brush vegetation will likely be resistant to control, as underlying drought and critically to extremely dry vegetation combine with 100-degree temperatures and periods of elevated to critical fire weather.   On May 17, Texas A&M Forest Service fire…