Flood Watch Issued for Central Texas as State Mobilizes Ahead of Heavy Rain, With ACL Fest in the Crosshairs
Central Texas is bracing for a multi-day soaking, and the timing is awkward for Austin.
A flood watch is in effect, state emergency teams are already positioned, and the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival sits squarely in the forecast.
Flood watch and forecast
…FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING…
* WHAT…Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible.
* WHERE…A portion of south central Texas, including the following counties, Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Llano, Maverick, Medina, Real, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Williamson, Wilson and Zavala.
* WHEN…From Wednesday evening through Friday evening.
* IMPACTS…There is a potential for life threatening flooding somewhere in the watch area. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers are possible.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS… – Rainfall totals of 2-4 inches with isolated amounts of 8 inches are possible. – Some locations that may experience flooding include… San Antonio, Austin, Round Rock, New Braunfels, Cedar Park, Georgetown, San Marcos, Pflugerville, Medina, Schertz, Kyle, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Seguin, Cibolo, Kerrville, Converse, Universal City, Taylor and Uvalde.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the Austin area from Wednesday night through Friday night, covering Travis, Hays and Williamson counties. The watch reaches well beyond Austin, stretching from Killeen through Waco and up toward the Texas-Oklahoma border.
The setup involves tropical moisture from Hurricane Polo on the Pacific coast combining with an approaching low-pressure system. Austin, San Antonio, Waco and Dallas are all under a Level 3 out of 4 flood threat, with 3 to 5 inches of rain expected across the Hill Country and isolated totals of 7 to 8 inches possible. Some forecasts show spots west of I-35 topping 10 inches. Forecasters caution that it remains hard to say exactly where the heaviest rain will fall.
State agencies mobilize
Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate additional resources ahead of the storms. The State Operations Center is running around the clock while the flood threat lasts.
The deployed resources include swift water rescue boats and high-profile vehicles, Texas National Guard personnel and Black Hawk helicopters, Texas Parks and Wildlife rescue boats and helicopters, DPS troopers and helicopters, and emergency medical teams with ambulances and all-terrain vehicles. Texas A&M Task Force 1 and the Texas Department of Transportation are also on call.
What it means for ACL Fest
The watch overlaps with Friday, opening day of the festival.
Organizers say they are monitoring the weather closely and encourage fans to follow official festival channels for updates. Some projections call for 3 to 5 inches over the Wednesday-through-Saturday stretch, which could make this one of the wettest ACL weekends in the festival’s history.
History offers some perspective. Organizers have fully canceled only one festival day, in 2013, when heavy rain and flash flooding hit the region.
Staying safe
- Sign up for alerts through WARN Central Texas
- Check road closures at ATXFloods.com
- Enable emergency alerts on your phone and keep the ringer on overnight
- Turn around, don’t drown. Never drive through flooded roadways.
A flood watch means conditions are favorable for flooding, not that it is guaranteed. Conditions can change quickly, so check official sources for the latest.
Sources
- KUT, “Flood watch issued for Austin area Wednesday through Friday ahead of heavy rain threat”: https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-09-29/austin-tx-flash-flood-rain-risk-storm-forecast-texas
- MySA, “Flood watch threatens North Texas amid severe storm forecast”: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/weather/article/flood-watch-north-texas-22452949.php
- Yahoo News, “Gov. Abbott deploys state resources as heavy rain threatens flooding across Texas in coming days”: https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/gov-abbott-deploys-state-resources-132221960.html
- KHOU, “Texas activates additional resources ahead of expected heavy rain and flooding across the state”: https://www.khou.com/article/weather/texas-flood-rain-emergency-resources-greg-abbott/285-14221e97-919b-4305-9200-3699536e17ba
- CBS Austin, “City of Austin prepares for incoming heavy rains, flood potential”: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/city-of-austin-prepares-for-incoming-heavy-rains-flood-potential
- KXAN via Yahoo, “ACL preparing for potential threat of heavy rain during Weekend One”: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/acl-preparing-potential-threat-heavy-220820734.html
- Yahoo News, “Will ACL Fest get rained out this weekend? Here’s the latest flood forecast for Central Texas”: https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/acl-fest-rained-weekend-heres-185714455.html
- MySA, “Heavy rain could dampen beloved Texas music festival. What to know.”: https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/acl-fest-rain-weather-22452890.php
- KCBD, “Texas mobilizes emergency resources ahead of flooding threats”: https://www.fox34.com/2026/09/30/texas-mobilizes-emergency-resources-ahead-flooding-threats/
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