Heavy rain swamped parts of Texas overnight, turning roads into rivers and prompting a major emergency response. In McLennan County, cars were seen floating next to Interstate 35 as water poured over the barrier that separates the highway, a striking sign of how fast the water rose during the storm.
The worst of the rescues unfolded in and around San Antonio, where first responders used boats and waded through deep water to reach drivers trapped by the rising flood. Officials said dozens of motorists were pulled to safety as the water swallowed stretches of roadway. One stranded driver described the fear of the moment, saying he genuinely thought he was going to die out there.
Authorities said at least one person was reported missing in the area, underscoring the danger still facing communities as the storm lingered. The combination of fast-moving water and submerged roads made conditions especially treacherous for anyone caught out in it.
The flooding has also turned deadly. In San Antonio, a woman died after she was trapped in her car by floodwater that overtook the vehicle, according to officials. Water rescues continued throughout the community as authorities warned that more rain was still expected across the area in the days ahead.
The flooding was not limited to the San Antonio region. Floodwaters also inundated the Houston area during the day, and forecasters warned that some places could see up to 10 inches of rain before the storm finally moves through later in the week. The persistent downpours kept the threat elevated across a wide stretch of the state.
Flash flood warnings were posted in Beaumont and Corpus Christi, with up to six inches of rain already recorded across parts of Texas. The warnings reflected the immediate risk to low-lying areas and roads as the rain continued to fall in bursts.
Forecasters cautioned that this was a multi-day threat rather than a single storm. Flood watches were in place across southeastern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi at least through Wednesday, and forecasters flagged a serious risk, rated three out of four, for the entire Gulf Coast the following day, warning residents across the region to stay alert.
As the rain continued, the scale of the emergency widened across the state. The governor of Texas declared a disaster for more than 100 counties, and officials said about 20 million people were under the threat of flooding stretching from Texas to Mississippi. In Waco, a car was seen floating down a highway median, while in Houston stranded motorists were forced to push their vehicles through flooded streets and a postal worker had to abandon her truck after it ended up leaning into a flooded ditch.
The danger extended well beyond the worst-hit cities. In Austin, a swollen creek overflowed its banks and forced road closures, while the flooding also pushed into Louisiana and Mississippi, where fire trucks in Shreveport were seen pushing through high water. Forecasters said some areas could see up to 10 inches of rain, with rounds of heavy downpours and more flooding expected through Thursday across the Gulf Coast.