Record-breaking rainfall hammered Central Texas overnight Thursday into Friday, triggering flash flood emergencies across multiple counties and forcing the closure of dozens of highway segments, including stretches of Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, as water levels surged to historic highs in several river systems.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood emergencies — its highest level of flood alert — for Travis, Hays, Comal, and Guadalupe counties as storm totals exceeded eight inches in some areas within a six-hour window. The Blanco River at Wimberley crested at 32 feet, surpassing the previous January record set in 2010, and the San Marcos River rose rapidly through downtown San Marcos, prompting evacuations of low-lying neighborhoods.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” said NWS meteorologist Claudia Soto during a Friday morning briefing. “We are urging everyone in affected areas to move to higher ground immediately if they are in a flood-prone location. Do not attempt to drive through flooded roadways. Turn around, don’t drown.”
TxDOT reported closures on more than 40 road segments across the affected region by Friday morning, with several bridges submerged and at least two county roads completely washed out. Rescue operations were underway in Wimberley and San Marcos, where first responders used boats to reach residents stranded in homes surrounded by floodwaters.
Williamson County Judge Bill Gravely declared a local disaster and activated the county’s emergency operations center. Travis County officials opened three emergency shelters, including one at Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin, and urged residents in low-lying areas near Barton Creek and Onion Creek to evacuate immediately.
“We had residents who ignored voluntary evacuation orders last night and are now trapped,” said Travis County Emergency Management Director Sandra Polk. “Please take these warnings seriously. Property can be replaced. Lives cannot.”
At least five water rescues were completed in the Austin area by midday Friday, with additional calls still being dispatched. Authorities confirmed one fatality — a driver whose vehicle was swept off a low-water crossing on FM 2325 in Hays County — and said several people remained unaccounted for in the hardest-hit areas.
The flooding also disrupted operations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where standing water on access roads caused significant delays. Several flights were diverted and ground operations were suspended briefly Friday morning before partially resuming.
Governor Abbott activated additional Texas National Guard resources and directed TDEM to coordinate with local officials across the affected region. State water rescue teams from the Texas Task Force were deployed to assist local emergency responders.
Residents across Central Texas were urged to stay off roads, report road closures to 511 Texas, and monitor official county and city channels for shelter and evacuation information. Weather officials said additional rain was possible into the weekend, and warned that already-saturated soil would limit absorption capacity, increasing runoff risk even from lighter rainfall totals.
