Here's the latest
• Flash flood emergencies are ongoing, with “large and deadly” flood waves surging down the Guadalupe and Pedernales rivers in the same areas of Texas Hill Country devastated by a similar flood wave last July. At least one person has died, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
• The Guadalupe River at Comfort, Texas, rose more than 25 feet in one hour and topped levels hit during last year’s deadly floods as slow-moving storms dropped several inches of rain in just a few hours. About a year’s worth of rain has already fallen in southern Texas.
• The relentless rain has led to dozens of water rescues and evacuations. Residents have been urged to shelter in place, and thousands are without power.
• The impacts are being felt in a region still scarred by last year’s July Fourth floods, which left more than 130 dead, including 25 girls and two counselors at Camp Mystic.
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Flash flood emergencies are in effect in the same communities devastated by last year's historic disaster as rivers rise rapidly, water rescues mount and more torrential rain threatens catastrophic flooding.
Officials asked residents near the Guadalupe River to shelter in place and move to the highest level of their home.
Another round of slow-moving storms is pounding already drenched areas of southern Texas. More than 75 people have been rescued from rising floodwater, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
Video shows extensive flooding in Uvalde County, Texas, that stranded cars and blocked roads.
Texas governor says 1 death reported in floods
At least one person has died in the central Texas flooding, Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters Thursday.
“I have learned that there has been one loss of life now, and that happened overnight,” Abbott said, speaking at an event in Austin. The person was not a camper, he added, but officials are still investigating and no additional information was available.
The death was reported “between the Kerrville and Comfort area,” Abbott said, noting officials will provide more details within the next hour.
Around a year's worth of rain has now fallen in south-central Texas
Rainfall totals for the past three days have now topped 2 feet in at least two locations in Uvalde County, according to preliminary totals from the Weather Prediction Center.
The highest total as of Thursday morning is 26.59 inches near Knippa, Texas. Another nearby location has received 24.98 inches.
This is around a year’s worth of rain in just three days for the area. Average yearly rainfall for this part of Uvalde County is between 22 to 30 inches, according to an analysis from PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University.
Watch storms park themselves over the Hill Country
Satellite imagery shows thunderstorms hardly moving over the Texas Hill Country over the last two and a half hours, dumping up to 3.5 inches of rain on top of several inches earlier in the morning.
In Kerr County, 4 to 12 inches of rain has fallen since late Wednesday night, warranting a flash flood emergency for portions of the county.
Storms will continue moving over Kerr County through late morning, dropping 1 to 2 inches of additional rain that may exacerbate current flooding.
Kerrville mayor says he's hopeful that warnings prevented loss of life
Joe Herring Jr., mayor of Kerrville, Texas — one of the places hit hard by last year’s devastating floods — said local government is better prepared for the flooding this time around.
While there have been no confirmed deaths so far in his city, Herring said he cannot rule out any casualties.
Even though the damage to facilities and infrastructure will still be severe, Herring said he hopes the loss of life will be lower than last year, thanks to the warnings.
At least 120 people, including more than 35 children, were killed in the catastrophic Texas floods last July.
Over 30 people rescued in Gillespie County, officials say
In Gillespie County, crews have rescued over 30 people impacted by rising floodwater, including from cars, residences and RV parks on Thursday, Sean Doerre, the City of Fredericksburg’s public information officer, told CNN. Fredericksburg is the county seat.
The rescues mainly occurred around Highway 16 South and Morris Tivydale Road, southwest of the city, Doerre said.
Local and state resources are still surveying the damage in the area, he said, noting roads and bridges have been impacted.
Flash flood warning issued farther downstream on Guadalupe River
A new flash flood warning has been issued for over 6,000 people farther downstream along the Guadalupe River as the flood wave advances east.
The warning includes locations near the river in east-central Kendall County and central Comal County until 10:15 p.m. CT.
Canyon Lake, Guadalupe River State Park and Spring Branch are among the locations in the warning.
The Guadalupe River at Spring Branch is forecast to rise above flood stage this evening and crest about a foot above moderate flood stage early Friday morning. At moderate stage, some structures and roads near the water could be inundated, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
Tree trunks, debris pile up against Kerrville bridge
Tree trunks, large branches and other debris have begun to pile up against a bridge in Kerrville, Texas, as the swollen Guadalupe River continues to rush by.
Video captured by CNN affiliate KABB shows the scene near Louise Hays Park.
Helicopters perform rescue missions in Kerr and Gillespie counties
As floodwaters rise in Texas Hill Country, two Travis County STAR (Shock Trauma Air Rescue) Flight helicopters are actively performing rescue missions in both Kerr and Gillespie counties, according to Travis County officials.
A flash flood emergency warning has been issued for people in Gillespie County along the Pedernales River, and a disaster declaration has been issued in Kerr County, where officials have requested outside assistance to respond to the flooding.
Responders have performed multiple rescue missions with the helicopters, Travis County public information officer Hector Nieto told CNN.
Family sheltered for hours in attic after floodwaters filled home "in a blink of an eye"
Officials asked residents near the Guadalupe River to shelter in place and move to the highest level of their home.
A Kerrville family sheltered in the attic of their flooded home for more than two hours early this morning while waiting for rescuers to bring them to safety.
Ava Shelton, 11, told journalist Jonathan Petramala that she woke up at about 2 a.m. local time on Thursday when a friend called to tell her about the flooding.
She said she panicked when she looked outside.
Her father, Robert Shelton, said their whole kitchen was flooded when he woke up.
A rescue boat arrived at about 5 a.m. CT to bring them to safety, he said.
Pedernales River rises over 21 feet in 3 hours
The Pedernales River in Fredericksburg, Texas, has risen 21.8 feet in three hours, according to the National Weather Service, a sign of the “large and deadly flood wave” that prompted a flash flood emergency from the National Weather Service.
The river reached major flood stage as of 10:00 a.m. ET and is expected to crest at nearly 34 feet later this morning.
Multiple river crests can create false sense of security
Some of the rivers and streams that have already crested are expected to see levels briefly decline before another flood wave makes its way downstream.
This can create a false sense of security if people assume the flood threat is over and return to low-lying areas.
The Guadalupe River at Hunt and Kerrville — which peaked earlier on Thursday — is among those expected to see another crest later this morning.
Flood sirens activated, officials urge evacuations for parts of Comfort, Texas
Officials advised residents in low-lying residential areas of Comfort in Kendall County, Texas, to evacuate early Thursday morning due to flooding, Comfort Fire Department Assistant Chief Danny Morales told CNN.
Morales didn’t know whether the roughly eight homes in the affected area had taken on water as of around 7:45 a.m. local time. No injuries or high water rescues had been reported, Morales said, though authorities assisted some people in evacuating after the roadway was flooded.
Officials also activated Comfort’s flood siren twice Thursday morning to warn residents who had not evacuated that the threat from rising floodwater was ongoing, he said. Authorities also sent alerts urging residents to move to high ground along the Guadalupe River between Comfort and Center Point in Kerr County, according to Morales.
Inundated Kerr County declares disaster, requests assistance
A county judge has signed a disaster declaration in Kerr County where floodwater has entered homes and schools and damaged roads and sewer systems, according to a social media post from Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly.
“I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that an effective response is beyond the capability of Kerr County to control,” Kelly wrote in a letter addressed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “I am requesting that you declare a state of emergency for Kerr Count (sic) and issue appropriate directives to deal with the emergency.”
A flash flood emergency from the National Weather Service has been in effect for parts of the county since early Thursday morning.
Here's when the flood threat will end
A large area of moderate to heavy rain continues to drench the Texas Hill Country, but short-term forecast models show it could start to let up heading into the afternoon.
The heaviest rain right now is in Uvalde County, but soaking rainfall extends northward through parts of the Guadalupe and Pedernales River basins, where flash flood emergencies have been issued this morning for “large and deadly flood waves.”
This batch of rain is forecast to shrink in size and what’s left is expected to fall with less intensity as we go deeper into the afternoon. Much of it could eventually dissipate by late afternoon or evening, although the timing for that to happen is still a bit uncertain.
Another round of downpours could fire up overnight from the western Hill Country to the Edwards Plateau, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
A drier weather pattern is expected to set in across all of this week’s hard-hit flooded areas by Friday afternoon and will stick around through the weekend.
Main highway from Sabinal to Uvalde is closed, police say
The Sabinal Police Department is stopping traffic on Highway 90 and Center Street, closing the major artery from Sabinal to Uvalda, Sabinal police and its mayor said on Facebook Thursday morning.
Right now, the Sabinal River doesn’t appear to be rising any further, but conditions can change quickly, Mayor Erik Gomez said about the morning’s conditions.
“The Sabinal River continues to recede, and at this time it appears to be dropping faster than the local rainfall has been able to replenish it,” Gomez wrote on Facebook. “While that is an encouraging trend, it is only a snapshot of current conditions. Additional rainfall upstream or locally could still cause the river to rise again with little notice.”
A year after devastating flooding hit Texas Hill Country, the region is flooding again
Heavy rain and potentially deadly flood waves are threatening Texas Hill Country along the Guadalupe River, where similar flooding killed over 100 people last July, including 25 girls and two counselors at Camp Mystic.
Water rescues have been underway since late last night into this morning. Some residents were asked to evacuate, while others have been told to shelter in place. Thousands have been left without power.
The flooding in at least one area has surpassed levels seen last July. Images of water rushing close to bridges and homes have emerged, as rain continues falling and floodwaters rise.
Multiple flash flood emergencies, which is the highest level of flood warning, have been issued. Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads if they can – some cars have already been swept away by rushing water.
New “large and deadly flood wave” on Pedernales River prompts flash flood emergency
A flash flood emergency — the highest level of flash flood alert — has been issued for over 20,000 people along the Pedernales River in Blanco and Gillespie counties in Texas until 4:30 p.m. CT.
The warning said “a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Pedernales River.”
“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” the National Weather Service said.
A river gauge in Fredericksburg, Texas – between Harper and Johnson City – reported a flood stage of 31.5 feet and water is expected to continue rising.
Aerial view shows wide expanse swamped by floodwaters in central Texas
Aerial footage from CNN affiliate KABB captures the ongoing flooding covering large chunks of central Texas.
Debris can be seen flowing through rushing waters near Comfort northwest of San Antonio, with only the tops of trees exposed and nearby roadways submerged.
Multiple swift-water rescues, evacuations in Kerrville overnight, city officials say
Responders conducted swift-water rescues and evacuations overnight into the early morning hours in Kerrville, Texas, where rising floodwater was approaching riverfront homes and cars were being swept down streets.
City officials described the flooding as unprecedented in an update emailed to CNN Thursday morning, noting active evacuations and multiple swift-water rescues were underway. Around 2:30 a.m. local time, an emergency alert went out warning residents to shelter in place and avoid travel, officials said.
Residents had been evacuated from multiple low-lying neighborhoods and moved to higher ground as flooding made travel outside of some areas impossible, the update noted. A fire vehicle was also swept off a road, but the firefighter was rescued.
A power line supplying city facilities had been damaged and power outages were impacting multiple parts of Kerrville, city officials said.
Officials have requested additional rescue resources from outside the county, the update said.
