Cars Submerged, Houses Surrounded As ‘Life-threatening’ Floods Hit Texas

Flash flood warnings and other flood-related weather alerts remain in place across Central Texas on Tuesday as videos revealing floods’ widespread impact make their way across social media.
Enough rain fell across Texas on Monday to break at least one daily rainfall record by nearly an inch. Last Friday, the National Weather Service’s (NWS) West Gulf River Forecast Center posted a rainfall map showing that parts of Texas were expecting up to 7 inches of rain over the weekend. The heaviest rain was forecast near the Louisiana border. That forecast came to fruition on Monday afternoon, when so much rain fell in Galveston that NWS meteorologists issued a flash flood warning for the island city, ordering people in the affected area to immediately seek higher ground.
Moisture-laden storms battered other parts of the state as well and continued to dump rain on Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon, flood-related weather alerts remained in place across Central Texas. Videos posted to social media showed the extent of the damage, with one man documenting flood waters submerging his car.
“A KSAT viewer was driving down north of New Braunfels Avenue near the McNay Museum when he got into trouble with water up to the windows of the vehicle and was swept away,” KSAT 12 posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon. “San Antonio Fire Department helped him get out of the vehicle, who is now safe.”
In the video, floodwaters lapped at the vehicle’s windows. At one point, the camera pivots downward to show the floods rising into the floor of the car.
Another video showed floodwaters surrounding homes in Coleman, Texas.
“Floodwaters surrounded homes in central Texas as several inches of rain fell in parts of the Lone Star State,” AccuWeater posted on X on Tuesday morning.
Storms continued to threaten Central Texas with a deluge of rain on Tuesday, according to the NWS flash flood warnings in place.
“Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses,” the NWS office in San Angelo, Texas, warned. “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.”
Flood watches and flood warnings also are in effect. NWS meteorologist Matthew Groh told Newsweek that the San Angelo office extended its flood watch until early Wednesday morning. He said that ongoing storms could worsen the threat of flooding, given as much as 9 inches of rain has already fallen in some areas over the past few days.
According to the NWS forecast, thunderstorms will persist throughout Tuesday evening.
“Low thunderstorm chances will continue on Wednesday and Thursday,” the forecast said. “Rainfall over already saturated areas could lead to flooding concerns.”