Latest news with #SanSabaRiver
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New Texas flood threat halts search for victims of deadly July 4 flooding
Emergency crews were forced to suspend search operations in Kerr County, Texas, on Sunday, as the area hit hardest by catastrophic flash flooding earlier this month faced a renewed flood threat. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday afternoon that rescue operations were underway in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher Counties. Evacuations are also ongoing in several Central Texas counties as authorities monitor rising water in Kerrville, the hardest-hit city in Kerr County by the destructive July 4 storms that caused the Guadalupe River to overflow. Officials in Texas' rural and flood-prone Hill Country have said at least 161 people from the area remain missing and efforts to find them are ongoing. The serious threat unfolding in San Saba County is along the San Saba River, another area known to flood. Rains from this weekend — on top of the already soaked ground — were forecast to raise the river above 30 inches. The river is forecast to rise faster and higher than it did on July 4. Police in Kerrville announced that ground search operations had been paused before 8 a.m. local time Sunday due to "flood danger." "We will provide more information soon but for now, all search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice. Any volunteer search parties in the Guadalupe River corridor need to heed this warning," the police department wrote in a social media post. "The potential for a flash flood is high." The department also shared an emergency weather alert that warned of "a high probability of the Guadalupe River at Hunt reaching flood stage today." It urged people, equipment and vehicles to move away from the water immediately. Hunt was the site of particularly disastrous flooding early in the morning on July 4, with officials saying the river swelled more than 20 feet in less than an hour and ultimately killed at least 103 people countywide, including dozens of children at a riverside summer camp called Camp Mystic. A flash flood warning was issued for parts of Kerr County on Sunday morning, along with other pockets of Central Texas. The Austin-San Antonio branch of the National Weather Service issued the warning as thunderstorms began to dump heavy rain over the area, and rainfall was expected to continue at a rate of 1 to 2.5 inches per hour, according to the forecast bulletin. The Weather Service noted that flash flooding was "ongoing or expected to begin shortly." The warning was due to expire at 12:15 p.m. local time. "This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order," the city of Kerrville wrote in another social media post, while the Weather Service emphasized that people should exercise serious caution around "low water crossings," which are small bridges built close to the surface of the Guadalupe River. Kerr County officials said last week that the crossings easily flood, as they did on the morning of July 4, trapping people on small "islands" of dry land and making it very difficult for emergency responders to reach them. Although Kerr County suffered the most tragedy as a result of the inundation more than a week ago, several other counties across Central Texas felt its impacts, too. Including Kerr County, the death toll statewide has grown to at least 129, and 166 more are unaccounted for, according to the latest information from local officials. The subsequent search for those missing among the debris has been massive. Volunteers, drones and search dogs joined the operation as crews from local, state and federal agencies probed on the ground, through the water and overhead in the air in hopes of uncovering anyone still lost. Difficult weather and harsh terrain have intermittently complicated their efforts, officials said. On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott again expanded his federal disaster declaration to include more counties imperiled by the flooding. Sen. Lindsey Graham says "a turning point, regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is coming" How a father's persistence unlocked his son's brilliance Global backlash grows to Trump's tariff threats
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
The most urgent alerts came in the middle of the night.
Early Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for parts of south-central Texas, including Kerr County, warning that a slow-moving storm system was expected to bring anything from scattered showers to intense storms through Friday morning. Such warnings are common when conditions are favorable for a weather event, and are often followed by a warning when a dangerous event is occurring or about to occur. And that's what happened very early on Friday morning, when the Weather Service issued a series of upgraded warnings in quick succession. Rivers across the region were beginning to rise as storms dropped more and more rain — first, the San Saba River at 1 a.m. local time, and again at 5 a.m., followed by the Concho River and then the Colorado River, each of which are expected to keep rising slowly through the weekend. The Weather Service also issued warnings for flash floods as the storm's impacts were becoming more clear. Unlike a slowly rising river, flash floods are sudden deluges that can occur after heavy rainfall with very little notice. A little after 4 a.m., the Weather Service sent one of its most urgent alerts, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning, reserved for the most urgent and potentially deadly scenarios. It is meant to grab attention, and is most often used when violent tornadoes are nearby, but also for floods and wildfires. The warnings are often shared on the Weather Service's social media accounts and broadcast by local news organizations. At 5:34 a.m. local time, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning came for Kerr County: 'Automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River,' forecasters wrote. 'Flash flooding is already occurring.' It identified Hunt, Kerrville and Center Point, all communities along the Guadalupe River, as places of concern: 'Residents and campers should SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding along the river is expected.' Other nearby areas, including Tom Green County, were also under these warnings starting a little after 6 a.m., one of which noted that 'law enforcement reported major flooding and very dangerous conditions across San Angelo,' the county seat. Another warning for the eastern portion of Kerr County as well as part of Kendall County came at 7:24 a.m. By then, reports were starting to emerge from the banks of the Guadalupe. The flooding hazards continued through Friday, though the storms were expected to be less intense as the day went on. Weather Service forecasters in San Angelo noted that because of the rain that had already fallen, even small amounts of additional precipitation could exacerbate the flooding hazards. A flash flood watch was in effect through parts of west-central Texas until 7 p.m. local time on Friday, and forecasters said isolated showers and thunderstorms were likely through the weekend. Observed rainfall
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Live Updates: Death Toll in Texas Flood Rises to at Least 24, With Up to 25 Missing
Early Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for parts of south-central Texas, including Kerr County, warning that a slow-moving storm system was expected to bring anything from scattered showers to intense storms through Friday morning. Such warnings are common when conditions are favorable for a weather event, and are often followed by a warning when a dangerous event is occurring or about to occur. And that's what happened very early on Friday morning, when the Weather Service issued a series of upgraded warnings in quick succession. Rivers across the region were beginning to rise as storms dropped more and more rain — first, the San Saba River at 1 a.m. local time, and again at 5 a.m., followed by the Concho River and then the Colorado River, each of which are expected to keep rising slowly through the weekend. The Weather Service also issued warnings for flash floods as the storm's impacts were becoming more clear. Unlike a slowly rising river, flash floods are sudden deluges that can occur after heavy rainfall with very little notice. A little after 4 a.m., the Weather Service sent one of its most urgent alerts, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning, reserved for the most urgent and potentially deadly scenarios. It is meant to grab attention, and is most often used when violent tornadoes are nearby, but also for floods and wildfires. The warnings are often shared on the Weather Service's social media accounts and broadcast by local news organizations. At 5:34 a.m. local time, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning came for Kerr County: 'Automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River,' forecasters wrote. 'Flash flooding is already occurring.' It identified Hunt, Kerrville and Center Point, all communities along the Guadalupe River, as places of concern: 'Residents and campers should SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding along the river is expected.' Other nearby areas, including Tom Green County, were also under these warnings starting a little after 6 a.m., one of which noted that 'law enforcement reported major flooding and very dangerous conditions across San Angelo,' the county seat. Another warning for the eastern portion of Kerr County as well as part of Kendall County came at 7:24 a.m. By then, reports were starting to emerge from the banks of the Guadalupe. The flooding hazards continued through Friday, though the storms were expected to be less intense as the day went on. Weather Service forecasters in San Angelo noted that because of the rain that had already fallen, even small amounts of additional precipitation could exacerbate the flooding hazards. A flash flood watch was in effect through parts of west-central Texas until 7 p.m. local time on Friday, and forecasters said isolated showers and thunderstorms were likely through the weekend.
