A helicopter flies over the flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 16. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
key takeaways:
- Mandatory evacuations are underway across the Texas Hill Country as flash flooding destroys roads and bridges, with one person reported dead during a rescue operation.
- An additional 8 inches of rain fell by the morning of July 17, threatening to close dozens of highways between San Antonio and Del Rio.
- More heavy rain is expected overnight as authorities deploy rescue teams and urge residents to avoid rising water bodies.
Mandatory evacuations are underway across the Texas Hill Country as life-threatening flooding has damaged bridges and roads and more heavy rain is expected overnight.
Up to 8 inches of rain is expected across a wide area of Texas excess rainfall By the morning of July 17, a week of heavy rain had fallen, bringing back memories of the devastating deluge that had killed more than 130 people a year earlier.
Evacuation has become complicated due to dozens of highways Close Between San Antonio and the border city of Del Rio. Firefighters, state game wardens and police officers have been deployed to rescue residents trapped in flooding or living above homes surrounded by rushing water.
One person died during the rescue operation, KEYE-TV reported, citing a Travis County spokesperson. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for about a quarter of Texas counties earlier in the week in anticipation of torrential rain.
@TxDPS A young girl, her family and their two dogs were rescued in Uvalde yesterday.
Texans in affected areas should remain vigilant, monitor local forecasts, follow the guidance of local officials and stay away from rising waters. Turn around, don’t sink. pic.twitter.com/XqAOj5ZvZu
– Governor Abbott Press Office (@GovAbbottPress) 16 July 2026
“If you don’t need to be out, don’t go out,” Abbott said during a Bloomberg Television interview. “One of the main reasons people lose their lives in rising waters like this is because people drive into waterways and get swept away.”
People gather to watch the flooding of the Pardanelles River at Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Texas on July 16. (Mikaela Compton/Austin American-Statesman via Associated Press)
Philip Bedient, a Rice University engineering professor who studies hydrology and flood prediction, said this year’s flood has not been as deadly as last year’s disaster because of early-warning systems, and people have become more cautious about camping close to Hill Country rivers.
“These are very fast-moving rivers, and once you’re swept away, you’re definitely in harm’s way,” said Bedient, who founded Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction Center. “But having said that, I still think there’s a lot more awareness now than there was a year ago.”
DPS continues to support statewide flood response efforts to keep Texans safe. In Kerr Co., DPS troopers are on the ground blocking bridges and roads that may be unsafe for drivers or pedestrians to cross.
Do not walk or drive through flooded areas – just a small amount… pic.twitter.com/lGmmNfdZKh
– Texas DPS (@TxDPS) 16 July 2026
Extremes have appeared in all corners of the North American weather map this week, from wildfires in Canada and smog in New York to heat in California and the East Coast. Across the continent, people are suffocating from pollution, withering from high temperatures and fleeing rising flames.
In the city of Kerrville, Texas, which was near the epicenter of the July 2025 tragedy, police instructed residents living near a creek to flee to higher ground on July 16. A church gymnasium was opened to provide shelter.
Along the Guadalupe River, where more than 25 girls and staff at a summer youth camp died last year, water rose 32 feet in just four hours, the National Weather Service wrote in a social media post. Post.
“This time people are well prepared and more cautious,” said Hatim Sharif, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies flash floods. Although rainfall is comparable to last year, human impact appears to be limited partly because “many businesses have asked people not to drive to work.”
Camp Waldemar and Camp Stewart, located on the coast of Guadalupe, said all campers and counselors were safe as of the morning of July 16. Another camp, run by the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, was sheltering in place and said in a Facebook post it was in contact with Kerr County emergency management.
Flooding of G Street along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas on July 16. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
“Every person in the state of Texas has the ability to protect and save their lives by staying away from rising rivers right now,” the governor said.
The Leona River near the city of Uvalde was also flowing rapidly, flooding roads and homes, according to video posted by The Weather Channel.
DEVELOPING: New drone footage shows the rapidly flowing Leona River near Uvalde, Texas, where flooding is actively inundating homes.
🎥: @charlespeakwx pic.twitter.com/JRneVSeNx7
– The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) 16 July 2026
“This will be an extraordinary event,” Sharif said. “Some areas could see as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain in 72 hours.”
A property gate on State Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, is partially submerged in flood waters on July 16. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
