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Flash floods close highways across Texas Hill Country
Gov. Abbott says motorists who enter waterways risk a fatal sweep into floodwaters
A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River as floods pass through the area July 16 in Kerrville, Texas. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
Key Takeaways:
- Mandatory evacuations are underway across the Texas Hill Country as flash floods destroy roads and bridges, with one person reported dead during a rescue.
- Up to 8 additional inches of rain through the morning of July 17 threaten areas facing dozens of highway closures between San Antonio and Del Rio.
- More heavy rain is expected overnight as officials deploy rescuers and urge residents to avoid rising waterways.
Mandatory evacuations across the Texas Hill Country are underway as life-threatening flash floods wreck bridges and roads with more heavy rain expected overnight.
A wide swath of Texas is forecast to receive as much as 8 inches of additional precipitation through the morning of July 17 to cap off a week of downpours that revived memories of the catastrophic deluge that killed more than 130 people a year ago.
Evacuations have been complicated by dozens of highway closures between San Antonio and the border town of Del Rio. Firefighters, state game wardens and police officers have been deployed to rescue residents trapped by the flooding or atop houses surrounded by rushing water.
One person died during an attempted rescue operation, KEYE-TV reported, citing a Travis County spokesperson. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for roughly one-fourth of the counties in Texas earlier in the week in anticipation of torrential rains.
The @TxDPS yesterday rescued a young girl, her family, and their two dogs in Uvalde.
Texans in affected areas should remain vigilant, monitor local forecasts, follow guidance from local officials and stay far away from rising water. Turn Around Don’t Drown. pic.twitter.com/XqAOj5ZvZu — Governor Abbott Press Office (@GovAbbottPress) July 16, 2026
“If you do not need to be out, don’t go out,” Abbott said during a Bloomberg Television interview. “One leading reason why people may lose their life in the rising waters like this is because people drive into waterways and get swept away.”
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People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Texas, on July 16. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via Associated Press)
This year’s flooding hasn’t been as deadly as last year’s disaster because of enhanced early-warning systems, and people have grown more cautious about camping close to Hill Country rivers, said Philip Bedient, a Rice University engineering professor who studies hydrology and flood prediction.
“These are very rapidly 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 that there’s much greater awareness now compared to what happened 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 of… pic.twitter.com/lGmmNfdZKh — Texas DPS (@TxDPS) July 16, 2026
Extremes have emerged in all corners of the North American weather map this week, from wildfires in Canada and smoke in New York to heat in California and the East Coast. Across the continent, people are choking on pollution, wilting under high temperatures and fleeing advancing flames.
In the town of Kerrville, Texas, which was close to the epicenter of the July 2025 tragedy, police directed residents living near a creek to flee to higher ground 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 perished last year, the water rose 32 feet in just four hours, the National Weather Service wrote in a social media post.
“People are well prepared this time and more cautious,” said Hatim Sharif, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies flash flooding. While the rainfall is comparable to last year’s, the human impacts appears limited in part because “many businesses told people not to drive to work.”
Camp Waldemar and Camp Stewart, which hug the banks of the 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 that it was staying in contact with Kerr County Emergency Management.
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Flooding blocks off G Street along the Guadalupe River on July 16 in Kerrville, Texas. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
“Each individual in the state of Texas has the capability of protecting and saving their own life right now by staying away from the rising rivers,” the governor said.
The Leona River near the town of Uvalde also was rapidly overflowing, filling streets and houses, according to video posted by The Weather Channel.
DEVELOPING: New drone footage shows the Leona River rapidly overflowing near Uvalde, Texas, where flooding is actively inundating homes.
🎥: @CharlesPeekWX pic.twitter.com/JRneVSeNx7 — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) July 16, 2026
“It’ll be an extraordinary event,” Sharif said. “Some areas could receive maybe close to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rainfall in 72 hours.”
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A property's gate is partially submerged with floodwaters along state Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, on July 16. (Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press)
