If you didn't already have the day off of work or school courtesy Martin Luther King, Jr, you probably do now courtesy Mother Nature (or the rapture, your choice). Even the MLK parade is canceled! Austin roads are wet and slippery, the temperatures are dropping, and everything is going to get worse before it gets better. If you absolutely can't stay home today, please take a minute and familiarize yourself with the Emergency Conditions......

The freezing thunderstorms and errant tornados of last night have left Central Texas a sopping mess, with heavy flooding leaving people and cars stranded, and over a dozen roads closed. At least one woman is believed to have drowned in Waller Creek, while several homes and industrial buildings San Marcos were damaged by "tornadic winds" that touched down in the early morning. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning in effect......

Austin commuters may have to contend with icy roads later this evening and tomorrow morning if weather forecasters are right. Word around town is that some businesses are closing early so people can get home before things get too slippery on the roads. A major winter storm is developing, and Texas is on the hit list. The front should be in Austin by this afternoon, with wind chills in the teens. "The first strong......