SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Many families in Texas are desperately hope for news about their loved ones today. Devastating floods swept through their homes and a summer camp after record rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to break its banks. We're joined now by Sarah Spivey, a meteorologist at KSAT News in San Antonio. Thanks so much for being with us.
SARAH SPIVEY: Thank you, Scott. It's a tragic day for us here.
SIMON: Well, indeed. And I have to ask you what - because, of course, thunderstorms in the summer happen in Texas, what made this storm so different?
SPIVEY: Well, we have a low pressure system directly overhead, Scott. And unfortunately, in the summer months, you know, we usually deal with stagnant weather patterns, very dry. But that stagnant weather pattern is actually one of the reasons why we're dealing with flooding right now - because usually in the fall and winter, we have cold fronts to help kick these low pressure systems out of our way. So it's a one-and-done rain event. But with this low pressure system overhead right now and nothing to kick it out of the way, we're essentially looking at a rain bomb directly overhead.
SIMON: What can you tell us about the Texas Hill Country, this area affected by the flooding? What made it be particularly so vulnerable?
SPIVEY: Yes. Well, first of all, we have the terrain here, which - it's called the Hill Country for a reason - winding hills and a river, Guadalupe River, that runs through these hills onto limestone. So there's not much area for the water to soak into. And late on July 4, the early morning hours of July 4, we saw rainfall - over in a short period of time, 10 inches of rain fall west of Kerrville.
And unfortunately, along that riverbank, there were lots of summer camps out there. And with rain happening in the middle of the night, the floodwaters quickly rose while these kids were sleeping. In some cases, we saw the Guadalupe River rise 20 feet in an hour, Scott.
SIMON: And I gather there's more rain in the forecast today. This must complicate rescue efforts.
SPIVEY: Yes. Thankfully, right now, the rain has let up in the Kerr County area, and the Guadalupe River has actually now stopped flooding. And so rescue efforts are able to continue now. However, with that rain bomb I mentioned earlier, sitting still directly overhead, there is yet again another flood watch until 7 p.m. tonight as we're watching for the potential for additional flooding in these areas.
SIMON: What are your thoughts as you look at this? Have you seen anything that approaches it before?
SPIVEY: Well, it's an unfortunate thing within our community that our major droughts tend to end in major floods. You know, we're in a multiyear drought here in this area. And if you've been in this area long enough, you know, even in 1987, there was a flood very similar to the one that is happening right now across the Guadalupe.
Our droughts tend to end with these rain bombs in the summer months, and it's just something that we have to prepare for over and over again in the future. Whenever there's a flood watch, we have to take that very seriously. And my thoughts and prayers are just with all of those parents that are waiting to hear...
SIMON: Yeah.
SPIVEY: ...From their children.
SIMON: Sarah Spivey at KSAT News, meteorologist in San Antonio. Thank you so much for joining us, Sarah.
SPIVEY: Thanks for having me on. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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