At least one tornado touched down Thursday afternoon as severe weather moved across Central Texas. A potential second tornado was reported soon after in Briggs.
Officials confirmed a tornado on the ground in the Oakalla area in northeastern Burnet County. Reports indicated the tornado was considerable at one point.
Initial damage reports from Burnet County officials include one home and a large outbuilding destroyed. Another home sustained damage, and a driver on County Road 223 was injured. Downed powerlines and debris left some roads impassable in the area of County Road 223.
Nearly 250 people in Burnet County lost power following the storms. First responders and Precinct 2 Road and Bridge crews began clearing debris and conducting damage assessments. Residents affected are encouraged to use the iSTAT tool to report damage.
In Briggs, a family huddled in their tornado shelter for 45 minutes. Ryan Murray said they got the shelter after experiencing previous tornado warnings. He saw a funnel cloud form close by before they took shelter.
Murray said this was their first time using the shelter since getting it six years ago. He reported hearing hail hitting the top of the shelter. Murray's greenhouse sustained minor damage from the hail.
Heavy hail also fell across other areas. Grapefruit-sized hail was reported near Lake Buchanan. Further north, baseball-sized hail pummeled Copperas Cove, and near-golfball-sized hail was seen in Kempner. Sirens sounded in Killeen warning residents of the large hail.
While Thursday's storms brought damage, the severe weather risk continued. Scattered severe storms were forecast for the Hill Country, northern Austin metro counties, and eastern counties through Thursday evening.
Forecasters anticipate another round of storms Friday for Central Texas, with chances for heavy rain, damaging winds, and additional hail risk. Rain chances could ramp up again by the middle of next week.
"We're just glad to have something like that. If worse comes to worse, at least we would have our lives," Ryan Murray said about his family's tornado shelter.