NWS issued a life-threatening flash flood emergency for Hardin and Tyler counties in southeast Texas on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026.
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service issued a life-threatening flash flood emergency for Hardin and Tyler counties in southeast Texas Wednesday morning.
Thunderstorms had dumped between 10 and 21 inches of rain as of 5:46 a.m., and the expected rainfall rate was between 1 to 5 inches per hour, according to the weather service. Flash flooding was underway in the area, and the emergency would be in place until 10:45 a.m., according to the NWS.
“Seek higher ground now!” a weather service graphic stated.
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The downpour came as the remnants of Tropical Storm Edouard moved north through Texas after making landfall in Louisiana a day earlier. The storm knocked out power for tens of thousands of Texans, and over a dozen school districts in southeast Texas closed on Wednesday.
TRACK THE STORM: Follow the path of the fifth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.
Chronicle journalists are tracking the storm and its impacts throughout the region. Follow below for the latest updates.
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Although the heaviest rain has remained north and east of Houston, a flash flood emergency and multiple flash flood warnings are in effect across the Piney Woods.
More downpours could develop closer to Houston later Wednesday, keeping the threat of flooding in place through the evening and possibly into Thursday morning. The rain could shift closer to Houston and the Interstate 10 corridor this afternoon, possibly before the evening commute. A few hours of heavy downpours could drop 2 to 4 inches of rain, creating new flooding on streets and in low-lying areas.
Conditions will vary widely across the region.
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The most dangerous conditions are in Hardin and Tyler counties, where a flash flood emergency remains in effect through 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Between 10 and 21 inches of rain had fallen across parts of the flash flood emergency area in Hardin and Tyler counties as of 5:46 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, La.
Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy said flooding in the county is “A moving target. There’s no way to gauge right now until it’s all over.”
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“I do think the public needs to be aware that it may look great at your house but you might run into trees or power lines or water if you decide to travel in this weather,” Murphy said. “The problem is that it’s a very compact weather event.”
Murphy also said that people have contacted fire and police for help evacuating.
“Not all family members are willing to leave because they are panicked and think the water will recede,” he said.
Polk County officials said as of 10 a.m Wednesday first responders have assisted several residents who voluntarily evacuated their homes.
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County officials said no rescues had been conducted as of 10 a.m. Polk County utility providers were also assessing damages to infrastructure and planning necessary repairs, officials said.
However, Polk County was opening a shelter at 11 a.m. in Livingston at 1103 Dunbar Ave. Officials in Polk County said that while some areas got around 8 inches of rain, others got up to 15.
A flash flood warning was in effect for areas in Polk and Liberty counties Wednesday morning.
– Tanya Babbar
– Kathleen Ortiz
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center has placed portions of San Jacinto, Polk, Liberty, Hardin and Tyler counties under a rare high risk of flash flooding.
This level of risk only accounts for 4% of days, but accounts for a third of all flood-related fatalities and 80% of flood-related damages. Lake Charles, Beaumont, and the Houston area account for the top 3 U.S. locations where high risk flood days occur most often, typically with landfalling tropical systems.
In a 9:30 a.m. National Weather Service update from the Lake Charles region, forecasters warned to expect additional flooding, potentially catastrophic for Southeast Texas, through today and into tonight.
Additionally, the flood watch for Harris, Montgomery and Liberty counties has been extended until 7 a.m. Thursday.
In Warren, an unincorporated community in Tyler County of less than 1,000 residents, the volunteer fire department members slept at the station overnight to be ready if anyone needed assistance.
Fire chief Kyle Wood said Wednesday morning that the station is still manned, but that they’ve only had one EMS assist for a backyard that was holding three to four feet of water.
No shelters have been set up, but there is one gas station open taking cash only.
The Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has lifted a flood warning for eastern Montgomery County. The OEM office has downgraded its activation posture to Level 3 or “increased readiness.”
“We will remain weather aware and continue monitoring conditions. Daytime heating may produce additional thunderstorms that wrap around the remnants of Edouard; however, no significant impacts are currently expected in Montgomery County,” according to a Wednesday morning post on the OEM page.
Montgomery County officials are also closely monitoring for catastrophic flooding occurring northeast and east of our county. Montgomery County is ready to send resources to the impacted counties if needed, according to the post.
Water entered the following roadways in Polk County Wednesday morning, as described by the Texas Department of Transportation:
U.S. 59 southbound, south end of the Corrigan construction zone
FM 1276 at Moore Road and at Double AA Lakes Road
FM 943 at Menard Creek
FM 942 at Hickman Creek
SH 146 NB at Garner Street
FM 942 at Susie Creek
U.S. 59 soutbound near FM 350
A flash flood warning in place throughout Hardin and Tyler counties in addition to central Jasper County will be in effect until 12:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Between 5 and 20 inches of rain had fallen in those areas shortly after 8:30 a.m., and flooding had developed in Tyler and Hardin counties, the NWS reported. Another 1 to 5 inches were possible, according to the weather service.
The conditions were life threatening.
Photos and video posted on social media Tuesday night and Wednesday morning captured intense wind and rain pounding parts of southeast Texas.
A Facebook user in Lumberton posted about an uprooted oak tree that narrowly missed her house. She sought safety inside her car at a grocery store parking lot.
North of the Houston area, another resident in Livingston captured violent waves near homes. She said she was getting scared.
The National Weather Service declares a flash flood emergency when “extremely heavy rain” poses a severe threat to human life and when “catastrophic damage” is either imminent or ongoing.
Emergency officials often report a life-threatening increase in water level during these “exceedingly rare situations,” according to the NWS.
Lumberton, Kountze and Wildwood were included in the flash flood emergency, which came from the weather service’s Lake Charles office. Flash flooding could target “low water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses,” according to the NWS.
The emergency applied to central Hardin County and south central Tyler County. Kountze, Village Mills and Honey Island totaled 15 to 20 inches of rain.
The weather service said the following areas were susceptible to flash floods — Lumberton, Kountze, Wildwood, Saratoga, Warren, Honey Island, Village Mills and Batson.
The NWS discouraged travel for residents who aren’t fleeing flooding or following an evacuation order.
Flash flood warnings in Montgomery, Liberty, San Jacinto and Polk counties were set to last until 9:30 a.m.
Between 9 and 15 inches of rain had fallen in southeastern Polk County and east central San Jacinto County as of 7:37 a.m., heightening the risk of life threatening flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Between 3 and 9 inches fell in northwestern Liberty County, east central Montgomery County and southeastern San Jacinto County, the NWS reported.
The downpour extended into northeastern Liberty County, where between 4 and 15 inches of rain had fallen by 6:53 a.m., according to the weather service.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m., NWS issued another flash flood warning for northern Liberty County and Polk County. The warning is in place until 11:45 a.m. and came after flash flooding was reported on numerous Polk County Road and FM 163 in Tarkington.
The weather service said between 4 and 16 inches of rain had fallen at the time.