Texas deluge unleashes deadly, destructive floods; feet of rain fall
Torrential downpours will keep central Texas at risk for dangerous flash flooding into Friday evening with ongoing downpours capable of bringing new surges of water on area streams and rivers.
This river rapidly rose and caused severe damage in Kerrville, Texas, on July 16. A low water crossing bridge, shot by storm chaser Connor McCrorey, was completely covered in debris left by the floodwaters.
Torrential downpours are still in the AccuWeather forecast for parts of Texas into Friday evening, continuing the risk of life-threatening flash flooding, property damage and disruptions to outdoor plans and travel.
"Hundreds of people have been rescued from floodwaters and at least two people have lost their lives," According to National Public Radio (NPR).
From 1-2 feet of rain has already fallen from the Big Bend region along the Rio Grande River to the Texas Hill Country just north and west of San Antonio, into Friday morning.
The repeated torrential downpours had multiple rivers in the region, including the Guadalupe River, in a rampage.
The event is not quite over yet as of Friday. Additional downpours will cause new, quick fluctuations on some of the small streams and rivers in the region.
Several more inches are forecast to fall into Friday evening in portions of West Texas.
In some locations, 2-4 inches of rain may fall in as little as an hour, overwhelming storm drains and triggering rapid rises on creeks, rivers and normally dry streambeds.
The main focus of heavy rain from Friday to Friday evening will be a bit farther west than during the period from Tuesday to Thursday.
The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall total for Texas this week is 30 inches.
Rainfall of this magnitude is comparable to that associated with a stalled tropical depression or tropical storm, even though tropical moisture, a stalled front and a weak jet stream disturbance drive this setup.
Given the intensity of the downpours, some of the large, shallow rivers in the region will behave like small streams and be subject to rises of a dozen feet or more in a matter of minutes.
This image shows the actual and forecast water level of the Guadalupe River near Spring Branch, Texas, by National Weather Service hydrologists. (National Water Prediction Service/NOAA)
The Guadalupe River rose 32 feet in four hours earlier this week.
Similar situations have led to significant loss of life and tremendous damage, including along the Guadalupe River just over a year ago on July 4, 2025.
Into the weekend, the weather pattern responsible for the repeated downpours over central Texas will begin to break apart, but problems may develop in other parts of the Southern states. One corridor of heavy rain is forecast to extend from central and northern Florida into the Carolinas.
Another area of heavy rain may develop from north-central Mexico into the interior Southwest.
Despite the overall shift in the pattern, widely separated thunderstorms could still trigger highly localized flash flooding across parts of Texas this weekend.
Motorists should never drive through flooded roads. Water may be deeper than it appears and can cause a vehicle to stall, float or suffer severe electrical damage. Rising water can quickly submerge a vehicle, and the road beneath may have been washed away.
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