Texas

Multiple water rescues as rare Flash Flood Emergency near Austin drops more than a foot of rain

KUT 90.5 | By Chelsey Zhu

Published July 5, 2025 at 10:09 AM CDT

Blunn Creek in South Austin floods during a storm in 2022.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Emergency for parts of Burnet, Travis and Williamson counties until noon Saturday.

Officials have reported multiple water rescues across the area after more than a foot of rain fell overnight.

The cities experiencing flash flooding include Burnet, Marble Falls, Leander, Lago Vista and Liberty Hill.

Over a foot of rain has fallen overnight. Streams have rapidly risen and floodwaters are beginning to move downstream in Burnet, Williamson, and northwest Travis counties. Numerous water rescues are ongoing. Seek higher ground immediately if you are near a swelling stream. pic.twitter.com/tpn6A5xWtU
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 5, 2025

Life-threatening flash flooding is possible at low water crossings, streams, highways and other streets.

"This is a particularly dangerous situation," NWS said. "Seek higher ground now!"

Do not drive through flooded roads. If you're camping or hiking, NWS said, avoid streams and creeks.

Hays County and southwestern Williamson County are under a Flash Flood Warning until 1 p.m. The warning includes the cities of San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Hutto and Liberty Hill.

A Flood Watch means that conditions are favorable for flooding. A Flood or Flash Flood Warning means that flooding is already happening or about to happen. Flash Flood Emergencies are "saved for days where we're expecting catastrophic type damage or widespread damage or even loss of life," NWS told Texas Public Radio.

Water rescues, evacuations and resources

The Burnet County Sheriff's Office said it has received about 10 calls for people trapped in cars by flooding. Travis County emergency responders have also reported multiple water rescues.

Williamson County is asking residents of mobile home parks east of Georgetown near the San Gabriel River to evacuate. This includes Riverside, Shady River and Goodwater RV parks.

Here are a few ways to monitor flooding and potential impacts:

Follow the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio's account on X for the latest weather updates.
Follow Austin Emergency Management on Facebook or X for local notifications and tips.
Go to WARN Central Texas to sign up for emergency alerts.
Visit Austin Energy's website to report a power outage or see a map of current outages. If you're a customer of another energy provider, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op, Pedernales Electric Co-op and Oncor have their own outage maps.
Check the Lower Colorado River Authority's HydroMet monitoring system to check rainfall totals for the area in near real time. You can also look at lake levels, streamflow and river stage.
Visit ATXFloods.com to look at which roads in Central Texas are closed due to flooding.
KUT also has a list of useful accounts on X that post about local weather.