Heavy rains in south Texas have washed out highways and stranded motorists, with forecasters warning that more severe weather could bring dangerous flooding to already drenched counties near the border with Mexico.
On Tuesday, storms dumped up to 16in of rain in some rural areas of the state, leading to the dispatch of emergency crews to make at least two dozen rescues across the region. Officials shut down parts of a highway near Uvalde, 80 miles west of San Antonio.
“This is called a typical mid-summer tropical weather pattern that happens in Texas,” Monte Oaks, a meteorologist with the weather service, told the Associated Press.
“About once every five years, we’ll get socked in with a daily recurrence of heavy rain chances that’s generally produced by a stagnant kind of a pattern with a low-pressure center that’s just not moving very fast.”
A flash flood warning is in place in the San Antonio area with torrential downpours expected through the afternoon. Most areas of the metro area are forecast to get between 2 and 4in of rain.
Areas of central Texas also remained at risk of excessive rainfall, including the Hill Country and areas such as Kerrville were at a moderate risk of flash flooding. Two years ago, an area bordering the Guadalupe River experienced flash flooding that killed at least 139 people.
The National Weather Service warned that storms overnight into Wednesday could dump more than a foot of additional rain to some places, creating potentially catastrophic impacts from flash flooding in areas west of San Antonio.
More rain is expected over the next 24 hours, with parts of the region upgraded to a rare level 4 “high” risk of excessive rainfall, indicating that flash flooding is likely. Rainfall totals between 3 and 7in are expected, with isolated higher totals of up to 15in possible.
“Intense rain rates and compounding effects from multiple rounds of storms will result in a dangerous flash flooding threat through Thursday,” the National Weather Service said.
Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, issued a disaster declaration for 59 Texas counties as severe storms continue to threaten the area.
In a statement on X, Abbott posted a weather map that showed 20in of rain could fall in some areas: “Texans, this is JUST ONE of the weather scenarios I have been referring to in my disaster declaration. Note the amount of rain and the early morning hour it is being predicted. We have deployed rescue teams, Blackhawk helicopters & state personnel to respond to this danger.”
He also advised Texans to “heed weather warnings and local advisories”.
