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Threat of dangerous flooding continues in Texas while hard-hit areas launch cleanup efforts
Parts of Texas remain under threat for dangerous flash flooding as cleanup efforts begin in hard-hit areas.
Heavy downpours drenching South Texas, causing floods and forcing evacuations. More than six million people in 57 counties were under a National Service flood watch, and in some areas flash flood warnings are in effect.
Floodwaters overran the city of Uvalde, Texas overnight, cutting off access to surrounding areas. Rescue crews rescued at least one child from floodwaters.
Residents in Texas assess flood waters in neighborhood streets, many impassable, after days of pounding rain.
Catastrophic flooding in Texas after days of pounding rain forced authorities to rescue dozens of people from rising waters before sunrise Thursday while many more fled to higher ground across a region still recovering from devastating floods just a year ago.
Uvalde resident Toby Guerrero says he’s struggling to find medicine for his wife’s vertigo because all the stores near him are closed as a result of catastrophic flooding in Central Texas.
Flooding blocks off G Street along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River as floods pass through the area on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A property’s gate featuring cattle is partially submerged with flood waters along State Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
This aerial photo provided by David Fry shows flooding in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (David Fry/Medina Real Estate Photography via AP)
Heavy downpours drenching South Texas, causing floods and forcing evacuations. More than six million people in 57 counties were under a National Service flood watch, and in some areas flash flood warnings are in effect.
Floodwaters overran the city of Uvalde, Texas overnight, cutting off access to surrounding areas. Rescue crews rescued at least one child from floodwaters.
Residents in Texas assess flood waters in neighborhood streets, many impassable, after days of pounding rain.
Catastrophic flooding in Texas after days of pounding rain forced authorities to rescue dozens of people from rising waters before sunrise Thursday while many more fled to higher ground across a region still recovering from devastating floods just a year ago.
Uvalde resident Toby Guerrero says he’s struggling to find medicine for his wife’s vertigo because all the stores near him are closed as a result of catastrophic flooding in Central Texas.
Flooding blocks off G Street along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Flooding blocks off G Street along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River as floods pass through the area on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River as floods pass through the area on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A property’s gate featuring cattle is partially submerged with flood waters along State Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
A property’s gate featuring cattle is partially submerged with flood waters along State Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
This aerial photo provided by David Fry shows flooding in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (David Fry/Medina Real Estate Photography via AP)
This aerial photo provided by David Fry shows flooding in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (David Fry/Medina Real Estate Photography via AP)
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Some parts of Texas remained under threat for dangerous flash flooding Friday as other areas saw water levels recede enough for cleanup efforts following days of punishing downpours blamed for the deaths of two people.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in the early morning for the city of Sonora in Sutton County, about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.
The local sheriff’s office used a boat to rescue one person and local officials were urging residents in low-lying areas along the Dry Devils River to evacuate as heavy rain fell, although the request was not mandatory, said Chief Deputy Jon Gann.
“The water’s up to the top of the banks,” Gann said. “If we get any more, we’re going to be into homes.”
Flash flood warnings were issued for several other counties in the Texas Hill Country, where many areas are still reeling from devastating floods a year ago. Flood warnings were in place through the weekend in many locations downstream from hard-hit areas, where rain was tapering off Friday. Some rivers were expected to reach historic levels.
Some areas west of San Antonio have seen 2 feet (60 centimeters) or more of rain since the storms began on Tuesday. Rescuers aboard boats and helicopters have saved more than 200 people including stranded drivers and people trapped in homes, Gov. Gregg Abbott said.
The storms and flooding threatened multiple counties close to the Mexico border and in the Hill Country near San Antonio. Roughly 6 million residents across Texas were under a flood watch this week.
One person who died was driving on a flooded road and was swept away near Uvalde, authorities said. Another victim, 65-year-old John Mark Steward of Kerrville, died after his mobile home was swept into Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, his wife said. The Guadalupe is the same river wrecked by flash floods last year when two dozen children and counselors died at Camp Mystic.
The slow-moving severe weather system was expected to meander in a northwesterly direction on Friday and make its way toward the Texas Big Bend in the western part of the state, the weather service said.
In Uvalde, one of the hardest-hit cities from flooding, waters were receding and officials said a major highway, Route 90, had reopened. Floodwaters had overrun the city overnight into Thursday, cutting off most outside routes.
The unfolding crisis brought back haunting memories of last summer’s unimaginable Hill Country floods that killed more than 100 people over the July Fourth holiday.
“It’s crazy happening two times in one year,” said Josiah Rodriguez, who awoke to the sound of heavy rain around 2 a.m. Thursday in Kerrville. He navigated flooded roads to help evacuate relatives.
“Last year there was no warning of it,” he said. “It just kind of happened overnight and it took everyone by surprise. This year, a lot more alerts have gone into place, a lot more safety measures.”
Residents said they were caught off guard a year ago and didn’t receive any warning when floods overtopped the Guadalupe River. Some local leaders were criticized for not acting quickly.
So far, the Guadalupe has remained below the record levels reached in 2025. Close to Camp Mystic, which hasn’t reopened since last year’s tragedy, the Guadalupe near Hunt reached about 20.5 feet (6.3 meters), which is enough to cause flooding, according to U.S. Geological Survey and National Water Prediction Service data.
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.