CENTRAL TEXAS — People living along Lake Travis are evacuating from their homes with the lake rising to near maximum capacity. The evacuation for Lake Travis follows a major flooding event on the Llano River Tuesday morning, which prompted mass evacuations in multiple Central Texas cities. A flash flood warning is in effect for Burnet and Travis County until 8 a.m.
According to KVUE meteorologists, Lake Travis is 127 percent full at 695.09 feet. The maximum height Lake Travis can reach is 714 feet before the water goes over the Mansfield Dam spillway. The closest Lake Travis has been to the maximum height was in 1991 when it reached 710 feet. The water has never in recorded history reached 714 feet. KVUE meteorologist Erika Lopez said the lake began rising rapidly due to runoff after the flooding of the Llano River.
Sometime after 6 a.m. Tuesday, the Llano River crested at 39.9 feet: more than 10 feet above the flood stage. That's the highest height the river has been since 1997 and is the second highest crest in recorded history. The highest crest for the Llano River was in 1935 at 41.5 feet.
WEATHER BLOG:
Wednesday
5:11 a.m.: Flash flood warning extended for Travis and Burnet counties until 8 a.m.
5 a.m.: Flash flood warning for Lake Travis and Burnet County expires.
3:26 a.m.: Lake Travis is 126 percent full. It's the highest it has been since June 2016.
Tuesday
11 p.m.: National Weather Service issues Flash Flood Warning for Travis County and Burnet County
10:37 p.m.: Lake Travis is 118 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
10:30 p.m.: All seven floodgates at the Longhorn Dam over Lady Bird Lake are open.
10 p.m.: Lake Travis is 117 percent full and floodgate operations begin at the Buchanan Dam, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
8:30 p.m.: Lake Travis is 114 percent full. The last time the lake was this high was in June 2016.
8:15 p.m.: Forecasts show the Llano River at Llano will slowly begin decreasing tonight through Thursday morning.
8:00 p.m.: Lake Travis is 112 percent full, Lake Buchanan 95 percent, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
6:30 p.m.: Lake Travis is 109 percent full, Lake Buchanan 94 percent, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
6:00 p.m.: Lake Travis is 107 percent full, Lake Buchanan 94 percent, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
5:30 p.m.: LCRA projects another one- or two-foot rise of Lake Marble Falls between hours of 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. this evening. Residents with flooded areas are ased to be vigilant and take necessary precautions.
5:05 p.m.: Lake Travis is 104 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
4:33 p.m.: Lake Travis is 103 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
4:19 p.m.: Lake Buchanan is 93 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
4:05 p.m.: During a press conference, Llano County officials said there have been no reports of fatalities or injuries due to flooding. Officials said roughly 105 people have been rescued along Lake LBJ due to flooding. If you have a non-emergency in Llano County, officials encourage you to call the sheriff's office at 325-247-5767. Llano County officials are also asking for monetary donations to help the county get past this "terrible situation." Donations can be made to the Llano Chamber of Commerce.
3:54 p.m.: Lake Travis is 102 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
3:39 p.m.: Lake Travis is 101 percent full and Lake Buchanan is 92 percent full, Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon reports.
3:29 p.m.: Lake Travis is 100 percent full, according to Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon.
3:09 p.m.: The Llano River is forecasted to rise later Tuesday evening to 40.1 feet. This would be higher than Tuesday morning's crest at 39.9 feet and place it within 1.4 feet from the record set back in 1935.
2:04 p.m.: Burnet County officials confirmed one body was found in the Colorado River. No immediate details about the person were released though, pending notification of next of kin.
1:48 p.m.: Granite Shoals police sent an urgent warning to residents along the lakefront to evacuate their homes immediately. They said all area resources were stretched thin and asked people to get away from the low lying area. Residents are asked to stay off the roads and not call 911 unless they are trapped or it's an emergency.
1:27 p.m. The City of Marble Falls said there's no access to Pecan Valley and the City of Meadowlakes. If you didn't leave the Meadowlakes in time, the city is accepting evacuees at the city hall.
1:24 p.m. The Travis County Sheriff's Office announced they would be going door to door at Graveyard Point to alert residents about rising waters on Lake Travis.
1:14 p.m.: KVUE reported that Lake Travis was 95 percent full and had risen 10 feet since midnight.
12:45 p.m.: The Texas Game Wardens tweeted photos capturing the devastation of the major flooding event.
11:56 a.m.: The Round Rock Fire Department, Cedar Park Fire Department and the Williamson County Sheriff Office are in Llano and Kingsland to help with water rescues, according to Williamson County officials.
11:44 a.m.: The City of Marble Falls reported to the National Weather Service that the wastewater plant is stressed due to the flooding event. All residents are asked to minimize their use of any activity that uses wastewater -- meaning no laundry, no washing dishes, minimal toilet flushing and minimal showering.
11:10 a.m.: LCRA said one floodgate at Mansfield Dam will open at noon, the second gate at 2 p.m., the third gate at 4 p.m. and the fourth gate will open at 6 p.m.
11:01 a.m.: The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said they were evacuating the Shady River RV park on the San Gabriel River, located in the 7400 block of Highway 29 just east of Georgetown.
10:57 a.m.: Flood operations at Mansfield and Tom Miller dams are set to begin at noon Tuesday. This means swift and high waters will be moving through Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake.
10:15 a.m.: The Travis County Commissioners Court said STAR Flight has two aircraft on standby for rescue operations.
10:05 a.m.: Granite Shoals officials said Impala and Web Isle residents should consider moving to higher ground due to the closing of the causeway, a raised road or track across low or wet ground. North and south Shorewood lakefront side residents are asked to higher ground immediately due to Lake LBJ rising quickly.
10 a.m.: All lakefront residents in Granite shoals are being evacuated. Residents are asked to head to the Marble Falls Middle School for safety. *NOTE: The middle school shelter is now closed. The City of Marble Falls Emergency Alert Center is open instead for those seeking shelter.*
9:54 a.m.: Gov. Greg Abbott said the Texas State Operations Center has increased its readiness to handle the severe weather and flooding happening in Central Texas. He said state resources will be available to assist local officials in their response efforts.
9:44 a.m.: National Weather Service extends the flood warning for the South Fork San Gabriel River in Georgetown. At 8:16 a.m., the river measured at 13.6 feet and the flood stage is nine feet.
9:36 a.m.: TxDOT Austin confirms that the FM 2900 bridge in Kingsland was washed away by flood waters.
8:30 a.m.: KVUE Chief Meteorologist reports that the Llano River has dropped to 39.53 feet after cresting at 39.9 feet sometime after 6 a.m.
8:10 a.m.: Anyone living in 1/4 mile of the Llano River should evacuate immediately, according to the Llano County Office of Emergency Management. The bridge at FM 2900 will be topped soon by waters, officials said.,
7:42 a.m.: Lake Travis has risen four inches since midnight and could rise 10 more feet in the next 24 hours as flood water from the hill country moves down the Colorado River, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
7:30 a.m.: The Central Texas Electric Coop in reports that there have been 500 outages between Mason and Llano.
7:28 a.m.: Nine floodgates are currently open at Wirtz Dam. All 10 floodgates are fully open at Max Starcke Dam.
7:18 a.m.: The desk manager at the Llanorado Lodge said guests and the RV space are being evacuated. The manager said there's an issue with wood and debris in the river.
RELATED:
NEED TO KNOW
The National Weather Service said early Wednesday morning the Colorado River was continuing to rise rapidly upstream from Lake Travis and is producing flash flooding along the lower shorelines of the lake.
The locations at risk for flooding include Lakeway, Hudson Bend, Mansfield Dam, Briarcliff, Point Venture and Volente. Meteorologists warn that roadways that connect these areas could be impacted by rising waters. High waters could also move into homes on the lowest shores of the lake.
The NWS warns that residents in the impacted area should move to higher ground.
As of 5 a.m., the Llano River is out of the "major" flood stage and has transitioned into the "moderate" flood stage. It's expected to be completely out of the flood stage Wednesday night.
In contrast, weather authorities said when the Llano River reached major flood stage at 38 feet Tuesday, homes in the water's path were capable of being "severely damaged and the lowest mobile homes destroyed in water up to six feet, some washing downstream." While covering the flooding in the Hill Country, KVUE captured video of decks, boats and large structures washing down the Starcke Dam in Marble Falls.
The FM 2900 bridge in Kingsland washed away in the flood waters, according to transportation officials. It was located in an area of town emergency management officials warned would be severely affected by flooding. Authorities said many downstream homes in Marble Falls were also at risk for flooding.
People are still asked to keep away from their homes as of Wednesday morning.
ROAD CLOSURES
The following roads and intersections in Granite Shoals are closed due to high water:
- Low water crossing on Woodland Hills
- 2100 block of Prairie Creek
- Bluebird Drive
- 900 block of Kingswood
- 800 and 900 block of Churchill
- Residents on Kingdom Drive and Kingsriver Drive will not be able to access Kingswood.
- Timber Valley
- Kingsoak
- Granitecastle and Baker
- 300 block of E. Granitecastle
- Sherwood Forest between Deep Forest and Woodland Hills
- Prairie Creek and Forest Hills
- Kingsland officials have closed RM 1431 between Bonnie Cove and CR 312B-Oak Springs Road.
In Marble Falls, the following roads are closed:
- Ave. S
- Ave. N
- Johnson Street
- Ave. J @ Johnson Park
- 2nd Street
- 3rd Street
Click Here for information on flooded roadways.
SCHOOL, BUSINESS CLOSINGS
The following schools and businesses are closed Wednesday:
- Burnet CISD
- Fredericksburg ISD
- Harper Mason ISD
- Llano ISD
- Marble Falls ISD
- Marble Falls City Hall is closed
- Marble Falls Court is canceled
- Mason ISD
SCHOOL, BUSINESS DELAYS
The following schools and businesses are delayed today:
- Burnet County offices won't open until 10 a.m.
- Liberty Hill ISD -- two-hour delay
SHELTERS OPEN FOR EVACUEES
If you live in Llano County, two shelters are open for people. The Llano County Office of Emergency Management said the John Kuykendall Arena & Events Center at 2200 W Ranch Road 152 and Lutie Watkins Memorial United Methodist Church at 800 Wright St.are both taking in evacuees.
Llano County Office of Emergency Management said shelters are being set up at the 1st Baptist Church and Inmans Kitchen in Llano. The Kingsland Community Center is also taking in evacuees.
Llano High School opened at 9:30 a.m. for evacuees.
Granite Shoals evacuees are asked to head to the 1st Baptist Church, located at 505 south Phillips Ranch Road.
In Meadowlakes, evacuees can seek shelter at the City of Meadowlakes City Hall. Shelters in place are also available at First Baptist Church Marble Falls and the Burnet Community Center. The City of Meadowlakes and Pecan Valley are not accessible at this time.
The flood response shelter located at Marble Falls Middle School is now closed. Community members can refer to the City of Marble Falls Emergency Alert Center for shelter and residential updates.
If you need to be evacuated, officials recommend contacting the Llano Police Department.
This is a breaking news story. KVUE will update this story as more information becomes available.
RELATED: