Latest news with #AnthonyFranze
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
The Guadalupe River in Texas surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes. It caught everyone off guard
With at least 105 dead and two dozen still missing, Friday's catastrophic flash flooding in Central Texas ranks among the worst natural disasters in the state's history. The brunt of the disaster centered in Kerr County, where the torrential rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to burst its banks, taking 84 victims, including 28 children. Among those killed were 27 young girls and staff members at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the riverbank. Eleven were still missing on Tuesday morning. What began as a routine flood watch quickly devolved into a deadly disaster. The National Weather Service predicted between one and three inches of rain, with some isolated spots possibly getting five to seven inches. Instead, parts of Kerr County were slammed with 10 to 15 inches, and in some places, over 20 inches, within a few hours. The storm is believed to be fueled by warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and leftovers from Tropical Storm Barry, according to San Antonio Express-News meteorologist Anthony Franze. These combined to create a slow-moving weather system that slowed over the area and dumped heavy rain over hills and valleys. The geography of Hill Country made things worse. The steep hills and rocky land don't absorb water well, so rain quickly flows into creeks and rivers. This caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly to its second-highest level ever recorded, even higher than a historic 1987 flood, Franze said. The area is often called 'Flash Flood Alley' because it's prone to these kinds of fast, dangerous floods, Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in an article for The Conversation. Experts say predicting exactly where and how much rain will fall is difficult, and this storm caught many off guard. Dr. Jess Neumann of the University of Reading said this was a 'tragic reminder of the dangers of sudden extreme rainfall and flash flooding.' 'This terrible event, in which children are missing and many have died, raises critical questions about effective early warning systems, flood planning and preparedness in the region,' Neumann said in a news release. 'It cannot be right that a flood of this magnitude, in an area known to be at high risk of flash floods, caused such devastation and has taken so many people by surprise.' The flood struck in the middle of the night when most people were asleep. There weren't strong warning systems in place to alert residents or campers in time to escape. 'We didn't know this flood was coming,' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Friday. 'No one knew this kind of flood was coming.' Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, demanded that the government's watchdog investigate whether the Trump administration's cuts to the National Weather Service's workforce increased the death toll. The strength of the flood was depicted by a 22-year-old woman who was swept 20 miles downstream and survived by clinging to a tree until help arrived. More than 850 people had been rescued by Tuesday morning, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott stating that over 1,750 personnel from 20 state agencies had been deployed so far to respond to flood threats. As the hopes of finding survivors faded, hundreds of emergency responders continued to search through the debris. 'Texas is working tirelessly to assist local officials with recovery and rescue operations,' Abbott wrote on X Monday. 'Texas will not stop until every missing person is found.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How the Texas Hill Country flood went from small water flow to deadly tide in a matter of hours
A powerful flash flood hit Central Texas' Hill Country late Friday into early Saturday, leaving at least 27 people dead, including children, while many more are still missing. Most of the missing were attending Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp along the Guadalupe River. What began as a routine flood watch quickly turned into a deadly disaster. The National Weather Service predicted between 1 and 3 inches of rain, with some isolated spots possibly getting 5 to 7 inches. Instead, parts of Kerr County were slammed with 10 to 15 inches, and in some places, over 20 inches, within a few hours. San Antonio Express-News newsroom meteorologist Anthony Franze said the storm was fueled by warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and leftovers from Tropical Storm Barry. These combined to create a slow-moving weather system that stayed over the area and dumped heavy rain over hills and valleys. The geography of Hill Country made things worse. The steep hills and rocky land don't absorb water well, so rain quickly flows into creeks and rivers. This caused the Guadalupe River to rise more than 20 feet in a matter of hours. It's the second-highest level ever recorded, even higher than a historic 1987 flood, Franze said. The area is often called 'Flash Flood Alley' because it's prone to these kinds of fast, dangerous floods, Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in an article for The Conversation. Experts say predicting exactly where and how much rain will fall is difficult, and this storm caught many off guard. Dr. Jess Neumann of the University of Reading said this was a 'tragic reminder of the dangers of sudden extreme rainfall and flash flooding.' "This terrible event, in which children are missing and many have died, raises critical questions about effective early warning systems, flood planning and preparedness in the region,' Neumann said in a news release. "It cannot be right that a flood of this magnitude, in an area known to be at high risk of flash floods, caused such devastation and has taken so many people by surprise." The flood struck in the middle of the night, when most people were asleep. There weren't strong warning systems in place to alert residents or campers in time to escape. "We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Friday. "No one knew this kind of flood was coming." The strength of the flood was depicted by a 22-year-old woman who was swept 20 miles downstream and survived by clinging to a tree until help arrived. More than 850 people have been evacuated so far, and over 200 rescues have been carried out by helicopter, boat, and high-water rescue teams. Texas officials have declared disaster zones in several counties and are sending in state and federal help. Governor Greg Abbott and other leaders are urging people to follow evacuation orders and stay away from flooded areas. 'We remain in a search-and-rescue posture right now,' Abbott said during a Friday night press conference. 'We will stop at nothing to ensure... that everybody involved in this is going to be fully accounted for."
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
How the Texas Hill Country flood went from small water flow to deadly tide in a matter of hours
A powerful flash flood hit Central Texas' Hill Country late Friday into early Saturday, leaving at least 27 people dead, including children, while many more are still missing. Most of the missing were attending Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp along the Guadalupe River. What began as a routine flood watch quickly turned into a deadly disaster. The National Weather Service predicted between 1 and 3 inches of rain, with some isolated spots possibly getting 5 to 7 inches. Instead, parts of Kerr County were slammed with 10 to 15 inches, and in some places, over 20 inches, within a few hours. San Antonio Express-News newsroom meteorologist Anthony Franze said the storm was fueled by warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and leftovers from Tropical Storm Barry. These combined to create a slow-moving weather system that stayed over the area and dumped heavy rain over hills and valleys. The geography of Hill Country made things worse. The steep hills and rocky land don't absorb water well, so rain quickly flows into creeks and rivers. This caused the Guadalupe River to rise more than 20 feet in a matter of hours. It's the second-highest level ever recorded, even higher than a historic 1987 flood, Franze said. The area is often called 'Flash Flood Alley' because it's prone to these kinds of fast, dangerous floods, Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in an article for The Conversation. Experts say predicting exactly where and how much rain will fall is difficult, and this storm caught many off guard. Dr. Jess Neumann of the University of Reading said this was a 'tragic reminder of the dangers of sudden extreme rainfall and flash flooding.' "This terrible event, in which children are missing and many have died, raises critical questions about effective early warning systems, flood planning and preparedness in the region,' Neumann said in a news release. "It cannot be right that a flood of this magnitude, in an area known to be at high risk of flash floods, caused such devastation and has taken so many people by surprise." The flood struck in the middle of the night, when most people were asleep. There weren't strong warning systems in place to alert residents or campers in time to escape. "We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Friday. "No one knew this kind of flood was coming." The strength of the flood was depicted by a 22-year-old woman who was swept 20 miles downstream and survived by clinging to a tree until help arrived. More than 850 people have been evacuated so far, and over 200 rescues have been carried out by helicopter, boat, and high-water rescue teams. Texas officials have declared disaster zones in several counties and are sending in state and federal help. Governor Greg Abbott and other leaders are urging people to follow evacuation orders and stay away from flooded areas. 'We remain in a search-and-rescue posture right now,' Abbott said during a Friday night press conference. 'We will stop at nothing to ensure... that everybody involved in this is going to be fully accounted for."
Newsweek
29-06-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Barry Becomes Tropical Storm as It Takes Aim for Eastern Mexico
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Tropical Storm Barry has formed in the Gulf's Bay of Campeche, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed on Sunday morning. Barry was centered about 90 miles east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, about 665 miles south of San Antonio, Texas. The storm has maximum sustained winds close to 40 miles per hour as it tracked northwest at 6 mph as of 10 a.m. local time Sunday. "On the forecast track, the storm is expected to make landfall and then move inland over eastern Mexico later today or tonight," the NHC said Sunday. The storm is forecast to make landfall between 6 and 9 p.m. CDT, delivering significant rainfall and the potential for flooding across the region. Why It Matters Barry's formation marked the Gulf's second named tropical event of the 2025 hurricane season, following short-lived Tropical Storm Andrea in the central Atlantic. The season's early activity underscores the region's vulnerability and the need for disaster planning as the peak of hurricane season approaches in late summer. What To Know Heavy rainfall, strong winds, and localized flooding are concerns for eastern Mexico, particularly with the expectation of up to 45 mph winds at landfall. The NHC first designated the tropical system as a depression on Saturday afternoon, with winds measured at 30 mph. By Sunday morning, data collected by Air Force reconnaissance indicated a rise in maximum sustained winds to 40 mph, prompting the official upgrade to a tropical storm. "Rapid weakening is expected after the system moves inland," the NHC said. Although the system's projected path indicated no direct threats to Texas, meteorologists noted the possibility of scattered showers across the Texas Gulf Coast, especially in south Texas and the Houston area, as Barry's remnant moisture moves northward midweek. Residents in eastern Mexico have been advised to prepare for potential flooding, with the NHC urging local authorities and individuals to monitor updates at and stay alert for emergency notices. Tropical Storm Barry has developed out of a depression. Tropical Storm Barry has developed out of a depression. NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center What People Are Saying Meteorologist Anthony Franze wrote for the Houston Chronicle: "The state of Texas is not expected to see a direct effect from Barry. However, leftover moisture from the storm may help to produce scattered showers and thunderstorms across parts of South Texas during the middle of the week. Some of this tropical moisture could reach the Houston area in the form of scattered showers and storms by the middle to later part of the week, but big impacts are not expected." The National Hurricane Center (NHC) wrote in its post Sunday: "Air Force Reconnaissance data indicates that maximum sustained winds have increase to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. A little more intensification is forecast before the system reaches the coast of eastern Mexico. Rapid weakening is expected after the system moves inland. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center." What Happens Next? Tropical Storm Barry is forecast to make landfall in eastern Mexico on Sunday evening where it will then rapidly weaken as it moves inland. Forecasters will continue to monitor Barry's remnants for any effect on Texas.
