Another day of pounding rain across Texas led to flash flood warnings on Wednesday, as rising rivers and streams forced a scramble of evacuations and emergency responders rushed to rescue people from submerged streets.
More than a foot of rain has fallen across parts of Hill Country west of San Antonio, and forecasters said on Wednesday afternoon that it would take very little additional rain to exacerbate ongoing flash flooding.
Another four to eight inches of rain could drop — with even more higher totals possible in some places — through Thursday morning. Forecasters said that significant or even catastrophic flash flooding remained likely in the hardest-hit areas through early Thursday.
In Uvalde, Roy M. Kothmann, a county commissioner, said that as of 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, there had been 25 rescues throughout the county as river levels continued to swell.
“First responders are actively rescuing in the northern part of Uvalde County,” he said at a news conference.
The Uvalde Police Department said that a dam in the northern part of the county was intact, but that the river gauge upstream of the Leona River was registering a 20-foot wall of water.
“It is expected to rise another 15 feet,” the police said in a statement. “If you live along the Leona River, we ask that you get to higher ground.”
Though rain was forecast to continue across the whole region, forecasters said on Wednesday that they were most concerned about a flash-flood threat along the populated areas between San Antonio and Waco. A tornado was even reported in near San Antonio on Wednesday morning.
In Western Medina County, emergency officials said up to three inches of rain fell early on Wednesday. Observations and radar estimations from the past three days showed that more than a foot of rain fell in portions of the county. and some parts might have received over 16 inches.
“Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas should move to higher ground immediately and be prepared to evacuate on short notice if conditions worsen,” the county’s sheriff office and its Office of Emergency Management said.
In the city of Boerne, north of San Antonio, the National Weather Service declared a flood emergency on Wednesday. Nearly two inches of the 12 the city has recorded fell in only one hour — with nearly half an inch occurring in just five minutes. That is an extremely rare rain total in a short period, forecasters said.
Chris Shadrock, the communications director for Boerne, said water had enveloped the city’s Main Street. High-water rescues were taking place in the city.
“This is a life-threatening weather event,” he said on the city’s social media page. “We are seeing flood conditions that we have not seen since 2015.”
The American Red Cross said on Wednesday that the Pecos, Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, Medina and San Antonio Rivers all could flood. The areas at greatest risk include all or parts of Medina, Frio, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Zavala, Val Verde, Edwards, Real and Bandera Counties, it said.
“Of special concern are people who may be vacationing in the area who are not familiar with the flash-flood threat,” the Red Cross said in a statement.
Mr. Shadrock said residents needed to be prepared to evacuate if they live along creeks and streams, including in the communities of Evergreen and other areas west of San Antonio, or be prepared to shelter in place. “If you are safe, please stay there,” he said.
In Bandera County on Wednesday, Judge Richard A. Evans signed an order for the R.V. parks along the Medina River to evacuate immediately.
“We have several low-water crossings and roads that are now closed,” Laurie Blanchard, a county spokeswoman, said in an email on Wednesday. “We expect the river to rise.” Preparations have been made to give residents shelter at the Silver Sage, a senior center. Ms. Blanchard was unable to provide numbers for how many people were affected by the order.
Heavy rain and flash flooding are not uncommon in Texas in mid-July. It was just over a year ago that a weekend of devastating flooding killed more than 130 people in Central Texas, including 25 young campers along the Guadalupe River in Hill Country.
The flooding on the early morning of July 4, 2025, that inundated the Guadalupe River was caused by 6.5 inches of rain that fell in just three hours, with little rain preceding it. On Wednesday, rain was falling at similar rates, but with rivers already swollen with days of flooding rains.
- Credits: The New York Times
- Authors: Judson Jones and Christine Hauser
