The event is an example of how extreme Mother Nature can be when conditions are just right. A perfect storm in the worst way, hitting in the middle of the night in a region packed with visitors there for a long holiday weekend. ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith analyzed when weather alerts were issued in the hours leading up to the flood and as it unfolded early Friday morning on the Fourth of July.
Let's start with the day before, Thursday, July 3. A Flood Watch for Central Texas was issued by the local National Weather Service Office in Austin/San Antonio. The watch was in effect through Friday morning and warned of the chance for rainfall totals upwards of 5 to 7 inches, which would lead to excessive runoff and flooding along rivers, creeks, and streams.
Later Thursday evening, the Weather Prediction Center highlighted the same region with an increasing threat for slow-moving thunderstorms that could dump rainfall rates of 3 inches an hour.
It was around midnight on Friday, July 4, when the first few thunderstorms began dumping heavy rainfall in central Texas. About an hour later, the first Flash Flood Warning was issued by the National Weather Service at around 1:14 a.m. This warning also included the "considerable" tag, which should have triggered wireless emergency alerts to go out to cell phones and NOAA Weather Radios.
Then at 3:35 a.m., the original warning was upgraded and included the verbiage, "Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life." Less than 30 minutes later, the warning was upgraded again to a Flash Flood Emergency and would have triggered the wireless emergency alerts once again.
Finally, at 5:34 a.m., a Flash Flood Warning for the Guadalupe River mentioned the "large and deadly flood wave" that was observed and moving down the river. Dozens of weather alerts were issued thereafter as the flood event unfolded across central Texas.
SEE FULL TIMELINE: Texas flooding timeline: How rapidly rising waters killed dozens
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