Part of Lake Austin to remain closed until 5 p.m. Friday, AFD says

The Austin Fire Department has extended the waterway ban on Lake Austin between Tom Miller Dam and Redbud Trail in West Austin until 5 p.m. Friday as the Lower Colorado River Authority wraps up flood control operations.

Currently, that portion of the lake is the only Austin waterway still closed to recreational and commercial use after recent heavy rains. The ban on nighttime recreational boating on Lake Travis near the Pedernales River will be lifted at noon, the LCRA said. Barton Springs Pool remains closed until further notice, after storms caused extensive damage to the popular South Austin watering hole. Officials have not said when the pool will reopen.

On Friday, the LCRA was wrapping up flood control operations and said it planned to close the last open floodgate at Tom Miller Dam by mid-afternoon. It has already closed all the floodgates at Mansfield Dam.

"Boaters should continue to use caution throughout the Highland Lakes," the LCRA said.

More rain is in the forecast Saturday, when meteorologists are calling for potentially severe storms as part of a cold front moving in from the west. The National Weather Service expects that between a half-inch to 2 inches of rain could fall in the metro area between noon and 6 p.m. They said damaging winds and large hail are the biggest threats with the storms.