Austin, TX

...EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS POISED TO ERUPT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING...

RICH LOW LEVEL GULF MOISTURE COUPLED WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES ALOFT HAVE RESULTED IN AN EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR-MASS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS EARLY THIS MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PUSHING EAST OVER CENTRAL TEXAS WILL SLIDE A COLD FRONT INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP RAPIDLY BY LATE AFTERNOON...QUICKLY BECOMING SEVERE AS THE FRONT ENCOUNTERS THIS UNSTABLE AIR MASS. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE FROM LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS...HOWEVER WITH THE EXTREME INSTABILITY PRESENT...ISOLATED TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT. MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WILL BE AFFECTED FROM LATE AFTERNOON UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION...RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITHIN THE HEAVIEST STORMS PRODUCING SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING.

HEIGHTENED CONCERN EXISTS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR THIS EVENING...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BURNET...GEORGETOWN...AUSTIN AND GIDDINGS. EROSION OF THE CAPPING INVERSION COUPLED WITH EXTREME INSTABILITY ALONG THE FRONT AND AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET...MAY LEAD TO VERY LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

THE SYSTEM SHOULD EXIT THE REGION OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH RAINS AND SEVERE WEATHER ENDING FROM THE WEST.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER UPDATES ON THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT. ALSO...GO TO WEATHER.GOV/AUSTIN FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION...FORECASTS AND WARNINGS.