Central Texas
A few cities include: Austin, Brownwood and Waco.
Terrain: Hill country, Colorado River Valley bisects.
Local tornado season: Peaks between late April and late May.
Road network: Manageable, but sparse in some areas.
Radar coverage: Very good in most areas.
Tornadoes frequently occur in central Texas with most of the significant events taking place north of the Colorado River and to the east toward I-35. In similar fashion to Southwest Texas, large to very large hail is common here with the most intense storms.
Moisture return is readily available (usually) with a southeast flow, as the Gulf of Mexico is a nearby moisture resource. Combine this with favorable mid and upper level winds and central Texas can produce intense supercells. With so much moisture, especially late in the local storm season, contrast can be low with storms. High precipitation characteristics are common with supercells, so storms may be “grungy” in appearance.
Terrain
Most of central Texas is dotted with rolling hills and is commonly referred to as Hill Country. Some areas are more forested than others, but there is a fair amount of vegetation across central Texas. The Colorado River passes from southeast to northwest across the area. Crossing the river is not an issue in most areas, although it can be challenging to find river crossings between Marble Falls and Austin.
Road network
The road network in central Texas is composed of many diagonally laid-out roads, a common Texas characteristic. It is usually fairly easy to get from one point to another, but some gaps in the road network will require a bit of maneuvering. When combined with the hilly terrain, storm chasing in central Texas is not inherently easy. Terrain and vegetation can sometimes block view of storms.
For major roadways, I-10 only crosses a small part of central Texas. I-35 spans the eastern fringes of the area. As one gets closer to I-35, population density increases dramatically, making storm chasing there more difficult. There are many U.S. highways and paved roads across central Texas, so dirt roads can be avoided if you are okay with viewing storms from a distance.
Radar coverage
Several radars overlap central Texas, so radar coverage is usually very good. A small rural area just east of Brady can lose some lower level scans, but with five radar sites nearby, alternate stations can be used depending on storms movement. KSJT, KDYX, KGRK, KEWX and KDFX are the main radar sites that will be used in central Texas.
In summary, central Texas is a reasonable area to storm chase. Ingredients often come together here for strong to intense supercells. Since the road network can be spotty in places, hills cover the landscape and high precipitation storms are common, do not always expect to have a clear view of storm structure. With several radar sites overlapping across the area, this can help offset some of the issues that may arise from having difficulty in observing distant storm structure.