Live updates: Heavy rains continue as Texas’ flash flood concerns persist
By Emily Foxhall and Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune
July 14, 2026
A heavier band of rainfall continued to drop water on Kinney, Uvalde and Medina counties Wednesday morning, all of which had seen a lot of rain already, said meteorologist Matt Lanza, who helps write the Eyewall. Storms were also expanding toward Kerrville, Fredericksburg and Boerne.
But the rain — while intense — has been somewhat more manageable than the huge amount that dropped all at once in Kerr County last July, causing the Guadalupe River to surge, Lanza said. In this case, Lanza didn’t expect the flash floods to be quite so urgent and “flashy,” he said, giving people a little more time to watch and react. Even so, flooding concerns were still widespread before the rain was expected to slow into the afternoon.
Areas in Bexar, Guadalupe, Bandera, Kerr, Gillespie and Kendall counties had all come under flash flood warnings. Flash flooding was reported on Cibolo Creek at FM 78 with more rain possible, according to federal forecasters.
“Hopefully just another couple of hours of this and then things will start to settle,” Lanza said. “But even in those couple hours you could be talking about easily another 2 to 4 or 5 inches of rainfall, maybe even a little bit more in spots.”
Rain had picked up starting around 6 a.m. in Medina County and water was starting again to cover roadways, said Mark Chadwick, the county’s emergency management coordinator. Responders had rescued four people from vehicles the day prior.
No water had gotten into structures, but officials were keeping a particular eye on D’Hanis, which has historically flooded, Chadwick said.
“We’re saturated,” Chadwick said. “Right now, any rain, it’s not going to take much for that to rise back up”
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Tornado confirmed in northwest Bexar County
Forecasters just before 8 a.m. Wednesday reported a confirmed tornado in northwest Bexar County they said was crossing Interstate 10 near Shavano Park and urged people to take shelter.
Some waterways in Texas had also risen rapidly Wednesday morning, according to river gages tracking their heights.
Significantly, the West Nueces River at Bracketville had come up 20 feet over four hours, as of 6:30 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey gauge. At that height, it’s considered a major flood by federal forecasters with “extensive inundation of structures and roads.”
Other rivers had spiked into a moderate flood level, including the Sabinal River at Sabinal and the Dry Frio River near Reagan Wells.
Multiple counties under flash flood warnings; Uvalde County hit hard
All or portions of multiple counties remained under flash flood warnings early Wednesday morning, while storms continued to dump rain in southwest Texas.
Federal forecasters estimated between 6 and 16 inches of rain had fallen over 24 hours in Uvalde County, relaying reports that people had been rescued from the water. Northeast Kinney County also received significant amounts of rain and remained under a flash flood warning, meaning life-threatening flooding could be imminent. Rainfall rates of two to four inches an hour were forecast in the area.
South central Edwards, southern Real, western Gillespie and southeastern Kerr counties were also still under warnings.
Forecasters were watching for another round of storms to move back in over previously hard-hit northern Uvalde and northwestern Medina counties. They were also keeping an eye on the Frio and Nueces and West Nueces rivers,
“It’s very rural out there,” said Monte Oaks, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Austin and San Antonio, of the hardest-hit spots. “From what we know, they just basically shut down long stretches of road out there.”
Wide swath of Texas bracing for 2 to 6 inches of rain
Considerable to catastrophic flooding is likely to occur over the next two days in places along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio, according to forecasters who elevated the risk for heavy rain causing flash flooding to the highest possible level through Thursday morning.
Some places could see a staggering 10 to 20 inches of rain, raising particular concerns for vacationers who might not be familiar with the flash flood threat. The areas at greatest expected risk included all or parts of Medina, Frio, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Zavala, Val Verde, Edwards, Real and Bandera counties.
The Pecos, Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, Medina and San Antonio rivers could all flood, National Weather Service forecasters said.
Areas outside of the worst forecast still faced a possible 2 to 6 inches of rain, including Kerr County. The city of Kerrville Police Department on Monday night and Tuesday said it already barricaded some roadways because of high water.
The warnings arrived barely more than one year after flash flooding killed 119 people in Kerr County on the July 4 holiday, when many children were attending summer camp and families packed RV parks and vacation homes. Residents continue to feel intense anxiety when it rains and were watching the forecasts.
Weather experts after last summer’s flood cautioned that it is impossible to predict precisely and with certainty where the heaviest rain might fall. That’s why people need to have a way to receive weather warnings and be aware of how they might need to act.
State legislators have since required certain areas prone to flash-flooding to install warning sirens, a process that is ongoing. The state also mandated new safety standards at youth camps, but it took no action on other recommendations such as standardizing training for local emergency management coordinators.
Gov. Greg Abbott midday Tuesday issued a disaster declaration for 59 counties in recognition of the threat to make resources available.
“Texas is positioned to respond quickly and effectively,” Abbott said in a statement. “I urge all Texans in affected areas to monitor local weather forecasts, avoid driving through flooded roadways, and have emergency supplies ready.”
Storms had already dropped more than 10 inches of rain north of Uvalde as of Tuesday, with more heavy rain also falling in parts of Medina, Bandera and Kerr Counties, according to the National Weather Service Austin and San Antonio Office. The Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday was urging people to stay home and reporting on roadways that had flooded. Bandera and Medina County also reported multiple road closures, including on U.S. 90.
Forecasters expected a lull in storm activity before it ramped up again overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
“All areas are kind of saturated now across the Rio Grande, Edwards Plateau and in portions of the western Hill Country and U.S. 90 corridor,” forecaster Jason Runyen said at an afternoon webinar. “Any additional heavy rainfall that occurs is going to run off very, very quickly.”
Counties under flood warning brace for looming overnight deluge
Amid warnings Tuesday night about imminent flooding, South Texas and Hill Country towns braced for river overflows and submerged roadways into Wednesday morning as forecasters estimated rainfall to continue to batter the region.
The National Weather Service late Tuesday noted storms had stalled over Bandera County as well as Uvalde County, where the agency also warned of “swollen” creeks and rivers causing floods. Flash flooding had already been observed in Uvalde and Medina counties, according to their emergency management offices.
Flash flood warnings for Bandera, Medina, Real and Uvalde counties that were scheduled to expire at midnight were extended until 8 a.m. Wednesday. NWS discouraged travel in the affected areas and warned that it expected rainfall at 2 to 4 inches an hour.
Medina County’s Office of Emergency Management warned in a social media post that Seco Creek, which runs through several counties under warnings, was at risk of flooding. The office urged residents to be alert through the night in the event an evacuation was called, and announced five road closures.
The NWS also reduced a warning for Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties to a flood advisory, noting that 2 to 6 inches of rain through the night were still expected.
— Ayden Runnels
New flash flood warnings issued in Hill Country counties
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for several counties on Tuesday evening as rainfall was expected to worsen through the night.
The warnings issued for parts of Bexar, Comal, Kendall and Real counties include San Antonio International Airport and the Guadalupe River State Park, where NWS warned that “life-threatening” flash flooding was expected or potentially already underway. Warnings for three counties were issued at 6:20 p.m. and are in effect until 11:15 p.m. but may be extended. An additional warning for parts of Bandera and Real counties was issued at 8:15 p.m. with a midnight expiration set.
A portion of Bexar County north of San Antonio was also placed under a brief tornado warning by the NWS that expired at 7:15 p.m.
The new warning adds to two already issued flash flood warnings covering most of Uvalde and Medina counties, scheduled until midnight Wednesday. The City of Uvalde opened a temporary community shelter Tuesday afternoon for those who could potentially be affected by the flooding.
In Edwards County north of Uvalde, the sheriff’s office posted photos of roadways already flooded midday Tuesday, and CNN drone footage of Sabinal showed roads completely covered by the rainfall. Several counties in the affected regions under an NWS flood watch announced road closures in preparation for any flooding occurring through the evening. Texas Game Wardens reported several swiftwater rescues earlier in the day in several South Texas counties including Uvalde.
— Ayden Runnels
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Ayden Runnels contributed to this story.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.