Flash Flood Warning Issued: Interactive Map of High-Risk Areas, Live Updates & Urgent Safety Tips

A fresh round of flash flood warnings is rippling across Texas and neighboring states as a slow-moving storm pattern taps Gulf moisture and unloads torrents of rain just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center has placed much of West and Central Texas, including San Antonio, under a Level 2 (Moderate) risk for excessive rainfall today, with the threat zone expanding into North, East and coastal Texas, southern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana on Thursday. Why the elevated danger? Forecasters say repeated rounds of thunderstorms are expected to “train” over the same communities, producing rainfall rates of 1–3 inches per hour. Saturated ground from earlier storms means new downpours will run off quickly, turning dry creek beds, urban underpasses and low-water crossings into dangerous channels with little warning. Isolated rain totals through Monday could top 8 inches from Houston to Shreveport, more than a typical May’s worth of precipitation in just five days. Key timing and impacts • Wednesday: Severe storms ignite over West Texas from Midland to Fort Stockton; hail and 60 mph gusts accompany flash flooding. • Thursday–Friday: Threat shifts east; I-35 corridor from Dallas to Austin faces rush-hour inundation, while Arkansas and southern Oklahoma may see creek and river rises overnight. • Saturday–Memorial Day: Persistent moisture along a stalled frontal boundary keeps Louisiana, coastal Texas and Mississippi in a daily flood risk. Safety checklist 1. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts so you receive instant flash flood warnings, even if power goes out. 2. Identify alternate routes that avoid low-lying roads; two feet of moving water can sweep away most vehicles. 3. Stock a 72-hour kit—include prescriptions, chargers and copies of insurance documents—in case rapid evacuations cut off access to supplies. 4. Travelers: Monitor forecast updates every few hours; a sunny morning can quickly deteriorate into life-threatening flooding by afternoon. Urban flash-flood hot spots • Houston’s Brays and White Oak Bayous • San Antonio’s Olmos Basin and Leon Creek • Austin’s Onion Creek watershed • Shreveport’s Twelve-Mile Bayou Drought paradox Weeks of flash-flood headlines may sound odd after months of extreme drought across the southern Plains, but bone-dry, hardened soils repel water, amplifying runoff and elevating flood danger. Hydrologists warn that drought recovery will be uneven; heavy burst rainfall fills rivers faster than it recharges aquifers. Looking ahead Computer models suggest the upper-level disturbance responsible for this week’s deluge will drift east by early next week, allowing drier air to return by mid-week. Until then, residents across the South are urged to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” and stay weather-aware—each new flash flood warning is a call to move to higher ground immediately.