Power outages across Austin impact thousands Thursday night

AUSTIN, Texas - Outages across Austin impacted thousands of customers again on Thursday night. 

According to Austin Energy's outage map, around 3,900 customers were impacted on August 22.

The biggest outage initially reported was in the area of Southwest Parkway and Barton Creek Boulevard with 2,011 customers impacted.

At 10:34 p.m., an outage affecting just over 3,300 customers was reported in the area between Bee Cave Parkway and the Colorado River. 

Outages were also reported in North Austin, Northeast Austin, Southwest Austin, Lost Creek, at Metz Neighborhood Park and along Creeks Edge Parkway near Barton Creek.

By Friday (8/23) morning, power to all customers was restored.

What caused Austin power outages?

Austin Energy says that on Thursday evening a transformer at a Southwest Austin substation went offline.

Crews rerouted power to restore it to customers, but the hot temperatures expected today (8/23) could overload equipment because of the additional power demand and could cause more outages for customers. 

Austin Energy says it has been working to investigate the issue and find a permanent solution. 

On August 21, the hottest day of the year so far, thousands also lost power.

Power outage tips

Austin Energy says customers should review emergency plans and check emergency kits. 

Those who experience outages can minimize power surges by turning off appliances, lights and other equipment. 

Find cooling center locations and hours of operation at austintexas.gov/alerts.

Conservation can also help. Customers in should try to use as little energy as is safely possible, especially between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

• Raise thermostats by a few degrees.
• For central air, do not close vents in unused rooms. This could increase pressure and cause duct leaks.
• For window units, close off unused rooms.
• Close shades and curtains on windows hit by direct sunlight to prevent heat from getting indoors.
• Avoid turning on the oven during the hottest time of the day.
• Unplug appliances, chargers and electronic devices when not in use. They use energy even when they are turned off.

Find conservation tips at austinenergy.com/summer.