Austin: A Texas flash flood emergency has triggered widespread rescues and road closures as heavy rainfall has inundated large parts of the state.
Greg Abbott, The Governor of Texas has identified the Nueces River basin as the worst-affected area. The basin stretches from a plateau northwest of San Antonio through flood-prone Hill Country regions. These areas had suffered major flooding in July 2025.
Abbott stated that “There will be a lot of rising water for the next 24 to 48 hours. More than 75 people had been rescued, the majority of them stranded motorists. We are dealing with and responding to a flood that is likely going to break records in Texas history.”
The previous disaster had claimed nearly 140 lives. Among the victims were 27 individuals at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River. The site had been heavily impacted due to its proximity to flood-prone waterways. Both the Guadalupe and Nueces rivers drain into the Gulf of Mexico and have received heavy rainfall again.
A disaster declaration has been issued for 59 counties in south-central Texas. The move has activated emergency response systems across a large portion of the state. Around 1,300 personnel from more than 30 agencies have been deployed to manage rescue and relief operations.
Intense downpours have turned rivers into dangerous torrents, washing out over 100 roads and forcing dozens of rescues of stranded residents. A flash flood emergency is in place in Kendall County near San Antonio, while similar warnings in southern Utah highlight risks of sudden water surges.
Severe weather threats have extended beyond Texas. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flash flood watch across central and southern Arizona. Areas from Prescott through Phoenix to Tucson have been placed on alert due to strong monsoonal storms.
The flooding has coincided with a prolonged heat wave affecting multiple US regions. The Rockies, Northern Plains, Great Lakes, and mid-Atlantic have experienced high temperatures combined with humidity.The NWS has indicated that extreme weather patterns continue to intensify across the country.
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