Posted: Sun, 9 Jan 2011 09:42 AM - 14,611 Readers

By: John Bumgardner

Rain and cold weather are on the way to Central Texas and in their wake Austin Water Utilities and the National Weather Service are warning residents to take precautions.

KXAN Austin News Meteorologist Rhonda Lee says heavy rains will fall in the Austin area beginning around 11:00p.m. Saturday and linger into Sunday afternoon.

The expected rains could bring with them the threat of localized flooding. Officials want to remind you, if you’re driving and see water covered areas to ‘turn around, don’t drown.’

Temperatures are expected to drop into the mid to upper 30’s on Sunday. By Monday lows will be in the freezing, low 30’s. On Tuesday lows will dip into the upper 20's, through Thursday.

AWU says in the anticipation of the freeze you should wrap pipes in your home that may be exposed or are in unheated areas of your residence. The utility company also recommends that you remove garden hoses from outside faucets and to insulate them with Styrofoam covering, paper or rags and to cover vents around the foundation of your home.

Once freezing temperatures below 28 degrees arrive and last at least 4 hours, AWU says you should allow outside faucets to drip 24 hours a day at about 5 drops per minute. They also suggest you open cabinet doors under sink areas and if your washing machine is in an unheated area to shut off water to the machine.

A word of warning, renters and tenants may be responsible for personal property damage caused by broken water pipes during severe weather conditions. Contact property management/landlord or maintenance personnel to locate the property owner’s cut-off valve and find ways to avoid pipe breakage during a freeze.

If a water line breaks and the cut off valve does not work or you are unable to locate or operate the value, Austin Water is available to turn off the water. Call Austin Water’s 24-Hour Emergency Hotline at 972-1000.