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Texas Hill Country flooding: Preparation, better tools spared lives in second straight July flood

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Last updated: Monday, July 20, 2026 8:02PM GMT
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Continual rain over the Texas Hill Country prompted several counties to be under flash flood warnings, with the biggest concern being rapidly rising creeks and rivers.

A man, identified by family members as 65-year-old Mark Steward, died near Comfort when he was swept away in an RV, while another woman was killed when the car she was driving was swept away near Uvalde, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott. He added that more than 230 rescues have happened since the emergency began.

The National Weather Service announced that a gauge along the Guadalupe River had risen 32 feet in just four hours and was expected to reach a crest similar to the catastrophic July 4, 2025, river flood.

Abbott said in a press conference on Thursday that the Nueces River near Uvalde set a new record and was releasing water at twice the rate of Niagara Falls at one point.

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Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
ByJulia Jacobo, Dan Peck, and Kenton Gewecke ABCNews logo
Jul 16, 2026, 4:34 PM GMT

Flash flood emergency occurring in same Texas region as Camp Mystic tragedy

There is growing concern about rapidly rising creeks and rivers across the Texas Hill Country following hours of torrential rain.

Torrential rain through Wednesday into Thursday prompted flash flood emergency warnings for Texas Hill Country as water levels in creeks and rivers rose rapidly.

As of Thursday morning, there were two flash flood emergencies ongoing in Texas Hill Country, impacting Kerrville -- the city where the deadly Camp Mystic flooding occurred in July 2025 -- Hunt, Uvalde and Knippa.

Evacuations and water rescues were reported in all four areas, with warnings of life-threatening flash flooding and reports of water entering buildings.

The Guadalupe River at Hunt rose from 9 to 19 feet between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. CT, cutting off access to some roads and bridges.

Engineers assessed the bridge over the Guadalupe River on Highway 87 into Comfort, Texas, due to fears that the force of the water may have made it unstable, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarcyz told ABC News. The engineers concluded that the bridge is structurally sound for now, ABC News has learned.

Read the full report here.

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