UVALDE, Texas — Days of relentless rainfall have triggered life-threatening flooding across parts of Texas, forcing rescue crews to pull people from rising waters before dawn Thursday while forecasters issued urgent warnings: “Move to higher ground now!”
The National Weather Service office in San Antonio warned that a “large and deadly flood wave” was moving down the same river that was devastated by catastrophic flooding a year ago, when more than two dozen children and camp counselors lost their lives at Camp Mystic.
The dangerous storms are threatening several counties near the Mexican border and throughout the Texas Hill Country. Officials in Kerrville urged residents to move to the uppermost levels of their homes for safety.
The Uvalde County Office of Emergency Management also issued a shelter-in-place order, stating: “All major highways and many city streets are closed due to flooding and water over the roadway.”
As of early Thursday, no deaths or injuries had been reported in connection with the flooding. Several tornado warnings were also issued across the region.
According to a spokesperson for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Game Wardens have taken part in rescuing more than 40 people from floodwaters, with most of those rescues occurring in the Uvalde County area.
Meteorologists reported that between 10 and 20 inches of rain — roughly 25 to 50 centimeters — had fallen over the previous two days, including a staggering 8 inches in just a two-hour window early Thursday morning.
A river gauge located less than 10 miles from Kerrville recorded a rise of 32 feet in just four hours. The National Weather Service said the river was expected to crest at levels comparable to the catastrophic July 4, 2025, flood event.
Forecasters cautioned that already dangerous conditions could worsen further in some of the hardest-hit communities. Portions of the Texas Hill Country — where last summer’s flooding claimed more than 100 lives — were among the areas placed under flood watches.
Some flood watches were expected to remain active through Friday evening.
By Wednesday, Uvalde police had ordered mandatory evacuations for certain neighborhoods, with emergency responders going door-to-door to notify affected residents. Others in the area were put on standby in case additional evacuations became necessary.
Residents along the Leona River were seen scrambling to load their vehicles and flee, though many were uncertain of where to go. Some watched from their doorways as floodwaters crept closer by the hour. One man loaded two kayaks into his truck bed as a precaution.
By Wednesday afternoon, lightning illuminated darkening skies as the normally calm river churned with fast-moving brown water, pressing against a high bridge in town and spilling into surrounding neighborhoods.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared disasters in dozens of counties across the state.
By Wednesday evening, more than six million Texas residents spread across 57 counties were under a National Weather Service flood watch, with some watches set to continue through Friday evening.
Uvalde County has seen some of the highest rainfall totals in the region. Officials there conducted dozens of rescues and warned that more people still needed assistance as river levels continued to rise, with highways and roads throughout the area closed due to high water. Under normal conditions, Uvalde County receives approximately 23 inches of rain over the course of an entire year, according to the Uvalde County Extension Office.
