Urgent Flash Flood Warning Tonight—See if Your Area Is at Risk and How to Prepare Now

Key points • National Weather Service issues multiple flash flood warnings across Texas, Arizona and Southern California as slow-moving storms unload 2–5 inches of rain in hours. • Hard-hit zones include the Guadalupe River basin near Kerrville, TX, Phoenix’s West Valley and burn-scar canyons above Los Angeles. • Warm Gulf and Pacific moisture, a stalled frontal boundary and an early-season atmospheric river are combining to amplify flood risk. • Residents urged to avoid low-water crossings, monitor real-time alerts and stock emergency kits. Flash flood threat intensifies overnight A stalled cluster of thunderstorms parked over Texas Hill Country before dawn Thursday, wringing out rainfall rates up to 3 inches per hour and pushing the Guadalupe River toward flood stage near Hunt and Kerrville. Although one early-morning warning was allowed to expire, models show a second wave of convection “training” over the same creeks later today, elevating the risk for sudden water rises in narrow canyons and low-water crossings. Southwest hammered by back-to-back storm systems • Arizona: Severe storms raced across metro Phoenix Wednesday night, flooding lanes on I-10 and grounding dozens of Sky Harbor flights as rainfall totals topped 2 inches in Peoria and New River. • California: An early-season atmospheric river continues to drench Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, triggering rockslides on Pacific Coast Highway and prompting swift-water rescue teams to pre-stage near recent burn scars. Why November flooding is so dangerous 1. Parched soils can’t absorb quick bursts of rain, turning hillsides into concrete. 2. Autumn leaves clog storm drains, accelerating street flooding. 3. Cooler nights mask the depth and velocity of runoff, increasing the chance motorists misjudge flooded roads. Safety checklist for communities under a flash flood warning • Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts and NOAA Weather Radio. • Never drive through water covering the road—just 12 inches can sweep away a car. • Pack a go-bag with chargers, medication, bottled water and copies of insurance documents. • If advised to evacuate, leave before dusk; visibility drops and rescue times lengthen after dark. • Keep children and pets away from washes and storm drains even after rain stops; water levels can rise back-up within minutes. Outlook: When will the pattern break? Forecasters expect the stalled front over Texas to drift east by Friday, shifting the heavy-rain bull’s-eye toward the upper Gulf Coast. In the West, moisture tapers late Thursday, but another Pacific wave could reload rain across Southern California this weekend. Until soils dry and rivers recede, the flash-flood risk remains elevated. Bottom line From the Hill Country’s limestone canyons to Phoenix’s desert washes and L.A.’s wildfire-scarred slopes, the ingredients are in place for life-threatening flooding. Stay alert, have multiple ways to receive warnings, and remember: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”