Flash Floods Grip the Texas Hill Country as Rain Refuses to Let Up
Central Texas is once again on edge.
This week, the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office placed the Hill Country, the I-35 corridor, and areas south and west of San Antonio under a Flood Watch running through Thursday evening, warning that life-threatening flash flooding is possible anywhere in that zone.
Forecasters have flagged a Level 4 of 4 “high risk” for flooding rain along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio, cautioning that considerable to locally catastrophic flash flooding is likely there.
“Radar already estimates 10-15″ of rain THIS MORNING ALONE between Del Rio and Uvalde. Uvalde County rain totals now approaching 20″ between yesterday and this morning with catastrophic flooding likely to redevelop soon.” — CBS Austin Meteorologist Avery Tomasco
The rain has already made good on that threat.
Parts of Medina and Uvalde counties picked up more than 10 inches overnight, closing roads and triggering multiple high-water rescues.
The threat of tornadoes is also present.
In Austin, a Flash Flood Warning early Wednesday reported 2 to 5 inches of rain in a short window, with water rescues underway and numerous low-water crossings shut down in the northwest part of the city.
Travis County residents have been here before and they are wary of the dangers of all this rain.
Flash flood warnings have also cycled through Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Gillespie, Hays, and Travis counties as storm cells repeatedly track over the same saturated ground.
Meteorologists say the Hill Country’s terrain is part of the problem: steep slopes, shallow soils, and exposed bedrock shed rainfall instead of absorbing it, sending water rushing into creeks and rivers rather than soaking into the ground. Add in a stalled front colliding with deep Gulf moisture, and you get slow-moving storm clusters capable of dumping 2 to 4 inches of rain an hour.
The outlook doesn’t offer much relief.
Watch-area rain totals of 2 to 6 inches are expected through Thursday, with isolated pockets of 10 to 15 inches — and locally up to 20 — possible across the Rio Grande Plains, southern Edwards Plateau, and western Hill Country. The heaviest threat should ease somewhat by Thursday, shifting toward Del Rio, Midland, and San Angelo, before conditions calm considerably by Friday.
Officials continue to lean on a familiar but critical message: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.
Just six inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet, twelve inches can carry away a small car, and most flood deaths happen inside vehicles. With ground already saturated from repeated rounds of storms, residents across Central Texas are being urged to stay alert, avoid flooded roads, and have multiple ways to receive weather warnings.
RESOURCES
Check area road closures in Travis and Williamson counties.
Real-time rain and stream conditions for Kerr County via RiverHub.
National Weather Service – Austin/San Antonio
Sources:
- NWS Austin/San Antonio — weather.gov/ewx
- CNN, “Dangerous heavy rain is hammering parts of Texas, raising flood risk in waterlogged region,” July 15, 2026
- Texas Public Radio, “Repeated rounds of rain keep flood threat in place through Thursday across the San Antonio area,” July 14, 2026
- Texas Standard / The Texas Newsroom, “Flash flood warnings issued across Texas Hill Country as heavy rain moves through region,” July 14, 2026
- KSAT.com, NWS Austin/San Antonio warning text products
UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING SITIUATION WILL BE POSTED HERE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
WEATHER
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT
TUESDAY’S HIGH /LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
TUESDAY’S PRECIPITATION TOTALS
Rainfall totals in the ATX Tuesday varied wildly. The airport and Camp Mabry both reported less than an inch while other areas saw either more or less.
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
