Slow-moving storms are dumping up to 15 inches of water, triggering emergency rescues and blocking dozens of roads.
Imagine watching your road turn into a rushing river in minutes. That is the scary reality for millions of Texans right now as skies dump months of rain in a single day.
WHAT HAPPENED
Huge storms are crawling across Texas. They are dropping massive amounts of rain from San Antonio to the Mexico border.
In Medina County, rescue teams pulled drivers out of cars. The water had swept their vehicles right off the roads. Water covered at least 18 roads and went over one bridge.
The ground in this part of Texas cannot soak up water quickly. It has steep hills and hard rock, so the heavy rain turns into instant floods.
FACT BOX
- 6 million people are under flood watches.
- 6 to 12 inches of rain already fell in some counties.
- Up to 15 inches of total rain could fall in the worst areas.
- 18 roads are blocked by water in Medina County alone.
- Level 3 out of 4 risk level is in place for flash floods.
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WHY IT MATTERS
This area is still healing from last year. Deadly floods killed more than 130 people here during a July Fourth holiday.
Now, warmer air is holding more water. That means storms are dumping more rain at once, turning roads into death traps.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The heavy rain will keep falling through Wednesday and Thursday. It will move toward West Texas before it starts to clear on Friday.
State teams are standing by with rescue boats and helicopters. State leaders are telling drivers to stay off wet roads.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
- Which specific towns will get hit by the absolute worst downpours?
- Will the state upgrade the warning to a rare Level 4 risk?
- How long will the blocked roads and bridges take to repair?