Photo: CBS Austin
Heavy Rainfall Triggers Flash Flooding, Rescues Across Travis and Williamson Counties
Severe storms swept through Travis and Williamson counties Friday evening into early Saturday, dropping several inches of rain in a matter of hours and sending emergency responders scrambling to assist stranded residents as creeks and rivers overflowed.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for western Williamson County and northeastern Burnet County Friday evening, with cities including Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Liberty Hill, and Florence all in the warning zone. A warning was later added for Northwest Travis County — which includes Sandy Creek, a neighborhood struck by deadly floods in July 2025.
The NWS said that by 5:40 p.m. Friday, Doppler radar showed thunderstorms and heavy rain with between two and four inches already on the ground, and that additional rainfall of one to three inches was possible. The agency warned that life-threatening flash flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas, highways, and underpasses was ongoing or imminent. The warnings remained in effect until 1 a.m. Saturday.
By Saturday morning, rescue operations were well underway. Texas Game Wardens Search and Rescue teams began responding to flood-related calls early Saturday, and by noon had rescued or evacuated nine people, responding to 11 total calls for service across Bell, Falls, McLennan, and Milam counties.
The Game Wardens also had additional personnel staged and ready to deploy near flood-prone areas across the broader region.
Officials urged residents to follow local safety directives, avoid driving around barricades, and limit unnecessary travel in flooded areas. The Texas Game Wardens cautioned on social media that floodwater can hide washed-out roads, debris, and other hazards, and is often deeper and faster-moving than it appears.
The flooding comes less than a year after catastrophic July 2025 floods killed more than a dozen people across Travis and Williamson counties, underscoring Central Texas’s continued vulnerability to sudden, severe rainfall events.
Residents are urged to stay weather-aware and never attempt to drive through standing water.
Sources:
- KUT Radio (Austin’s NPR Station): Flash flood warning lifted for Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties — Olivia Aldridge, June 5–6, 2026
- FOX 7 Austin: Austin weather: Flash Flood Warnings in effect — June 5, 2026
- CBS Austin / News 4 San Antonio: Texas Game Wardens rescue or evacuate nine people from flooding across central Texas — Will LeHardy, June 6, 2026
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