What to KnowThe highest rainfall totals so far \u2014 up to 16 inches \u2014 have been in Uvalde County, where officials tallied 25 rescues as of 9 a.m.The National Weather Service says 10 to 20 inches of rain is possible in some places before the storms move out. In Kerr County, where\u00a0catastrophic flooding last year\u00a0killed more than 100 people, officials were in contact with summer camps and retreat centers near rising rivers.<\/p>\n
Widening evacuation warnings and high-water rescues in Texas mounted Wednesday under relentlessly heavy storms that\u00a0turned roads into rivers, washed away vehicles and spun up a tornado across a busy interstate in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Texas Game Wardens have rescued over 40 people so far during the flooding, mostly in Uvalde County, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Forecasters warned that\u00a0already dangerous conditions\u00a0were likely to worsen in some hard-hit communities. The deluge dumped nearly a foot of rain in some counties and put people in dozens of counties under flood watches, including parts of the Texas Hill Country, where\u00a0last summer\u2019s devastating floods\u00a0killed more than 100 people. Some of the flood watches were expected to remain in effect through Friday evening.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in the northwestern part of San Antonio near Interstate 10. Videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be a small twister. Local officials said apartment buildings and other properties were damaged.<\/p>\n
As much as 10 to 20 inches of rain was possible in some places before the storms move out, the weather service said.<\/p>\n
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries from the tornado or the flooding.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHeavy rain is triggering flood rescues across parts of Texas, and dramatic videos capture people and animals caught in rising water. Officials continue responding to emergencies as communities are urged to move to higher ground. NBC 5’s Candace Sweat has more.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
More than a foot of rain has fallen, with more to come<\/p>\n
The highest rainfall totals so far \u2014 up to 16 inches \u2014 have been in Uvalde County, where officials tallied 25 rescues as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, and said more people needed help as river levels rose. Highways and roads were closed across the region because of high water.<\/p>\n
The county typically receives about 23 inches of rain per year, according to the Uvalde County Extension Office.<\/p>\n
The Uvalde Police Department said on Facebook at 1 p.m. that a dam in the northern part of the county was still intact, but the Leona River was still expected to rise another 15 feet. Police warned people along the river to get to higher ground.<\/p>\n
State Rep. Don McLaughlin said that despite a \u201clittle lull,\u201d the rainfall wasn\u2019t done and waterways could become more dangerous. \u201cThe rivers and the creeks are going to be coming up, and they\u2019re going to be coming up again with a vengeance,\u201d McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n
Frances McNamara and her 10-year-old son, Everett, watched the bloated Leona River in Uvalde sweep southward Wednesday as she considered possible evacuation routes. She pointed to a solid line of dirt, branches and twigs about 8 feet above the river where the water reached the day before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen the water rise, but not to this extent,\u201d she said, describing how it rushed through a ditch next to her home on Tuesday with enough force to sound like a river.<\/p>\n
This week’s severe weather brought back memories of last year’s deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt scared me,\u201d said McNamara, her eyes wet with tears as she recalled the 2025 floods. \u201cCause I have a son, and to know what those parents went through.\u201d Her son reached up and patted her back.<\/p>\n
Some mandatory evacuations ordered in Uvalde<\/p>\n
Uvalde Police ordered mandatory evacuations in some areas, with first responders notifying directly affected people, the department said on Facebook. Others were asked to stay vigilant in case more evacuations are needed.<\/p>\n
Some folks walked out of their homes onto the street to see the water growing closer every hour, their faces worried. People living along the river scrambled to pack cars and head out, though many did not yet know where they should go. One man threw two kayaks into his truck bed, just in case.<\/p>\n
Bailey Luckman, 26, was getting ready to evacuate with her dog on Wednesday afternoon. The floodwaters are close to her house, she said, and authorities recommended that she leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very worried about my things,\u201d Luckman said.<\/p>\n
She gestured to an inundated road nearby, saying she normally drives that route to get to the gym. It looked more like a river than a road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen it flow the way that it is right now, so that\u2019s pretty terrifying,\u201d Luckman said.<\/p>\n
Lightning flashed as clouds darkened the landscape, and brown water created large rapids in the typically calm Leona River. The river was pushing up against the town’s high bridge and into neighborhoods by Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations for dozens of counties.<\/p>\n
Authorities posted videos on Tuesday showing a rescue crew in a boat navigating flooded streets and a vehicle being swept away by fast-moving waters. Five people were rescued by the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team and four were rescued by a local game warden, said Maggie Berger, a Texas Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman.<\/p>\n
Other areas of Texas could see dangerous flooding<\/p>\n
Forecasters warned that hilly terrain in other parts of the region could be especially vulnerable to heavy rain.<\/p>\n
The highest level of concern for potentially dangerous flooding on Wednesday was for areas west of San Antonio and north of Route 90, Weather Service meteorologist Monte Oaks said.<\/p>\n
In Boerne, a city of about 24,000 northwest of San Antonio, officials told residents in several areas to either evacuate voluntarily or prepare to shelter in place as water levels rose. City spokesperson Chris Shadrock said in a Facebook video that high-water rescues were ongoing and that the city\u2019s busiest intersection was \u201ccompletely underwater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a life-threatening weather event. I don\u2019t want to mince words about how serious this situation is,\u201d Shadrock said.<\/p>\n
He said the water was rising even in areas that don\u2019t usually flood.<\/p>\n
First responders helped a woman escape after a car was swept off Boerne’s River Road by the fast-rising Cibolo Creek.<\/p>\n
People in about 20 vehicles were stranded in a nearby gas station parking lot when every surrounding street quickly flooded. Police officers blocked the exits to keep people from trying to ford the roads.<\/p>\n
Kendall County is home to nearly 53,300 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. About 45% of them live in the southern portion of the county in Boerne, where the Cibolo Creek reached 22.47 feet (about 6.8 meters) as of 1 p.m. according to a\u00a0USGS gauge<\/a>, about 19 feet (about 5.8 meters) higher than just two days before.<\/p>\n Oaks said the rain is being fueled with tropical moisture, mostly from the Gulf of Mexico and some from the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is called a typical midsummer tropical weather pattern that happens in Texas,\u201d Oaks said. \u201cAbout once every five years, we\u2019ll get socked in with a daily recurrence of heavy rain chances that\u2019s generally produced by a stagnant kind of a pattern with a low-pressure center that\u2019s just not moving very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Tornado recorded crossing Interstate 10 near San Antonio<\/p>\n