Over 3 inches of rain was recorded in 30 minutes in New Braunfels, Texas. Thursday is San Antonio's wettest June day on record, nearly doubling the city's previous daily record set in 1973. Houston is now in a Level 3 out of 4 flash flood threat. At least four deaths have been confirmed by San Antonio Police. SAN ANTONIO– At least four people were killed on Thursday in theSan Antonioarea after relentless rain inTexasled toflash flooding, sweeping away vehicles with more rounds of heavyprecipitationon the way. According to information provided by San Antonio Police, first responders were sent to investigate reports of vehicles stuck in high water at the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel areas just after 4 a.m. local time. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said four people were pronounced dead from theflooding, and four others were transported to local hospitals. McManus said 13 vehicles were in the floodwaters, and authorities are hoping to confirm the whereabouts of anyone who may have left the scene. In addition, several vehicles were reported to have been swept away, and first responders are working to recover the missing vehicles. How To Watch Fox Weather "In San Antonio proper, we've picked up over 5.5 inches of rain in three hours," FOX Weather MeteorologistBritta Merwinsaid. "These are very aggressive rain rates." In total, San Antonio picked up about 6.67 inches of rain over the past two days, with 6.37 inches falling over the past day. This makes Thursday the wettest June day on record in San Antonio, nearly doubling the city's previous daily record of 3.26 inches set in 1973. It's also San Antonio's 8th-wettest day overall since records began in July 1885. More than 3 inches of rain fell in theNew Braunfelsarea, northwest of San Antonio, in 30 minutes. A video recorded inSanto, Texas, shows significant flooding taking place as the heavy rain fell. Another video showed first responders rescuing residents from flooding conditions on Panama Road. Officials said water as high as 4 feet was reported in some areas, with "water flowing swiftly in most areas." Know Your Flood Terminology: What Flood Watches, Warnings And Emergencies Really Mean The San Antonio Fire Department responded to about 20 high-water rescues, and countless roads were closed due toflooding. The National Weather Service said40 low-water crossings were closed in Bexar County alone, along with several others in Comal and Hays counties. In addition, Leon Creek at Loop 410 nearLeon Valleyin the San Antonio area rose sharply by 13 feet in two hours and had more than 41,000 cubic feet of water per second flowing through it. Matagorda County issued adisasterdeclaration on Thursday due to the ongoing severe weather and flash flooding in the region. According to theMatagorda County Emergency Operation Center, the disaster declaration now authorizes officials to take necessary actions to mitigate the impact of the storm and ensure thesafetyof residents. Photos shared from Matagorda County showed how dire the situation was on Thursday morning. Floodwaters can be seen creeping dangerously close to homes while water covers green space and roads across the area. InVictoria, residents had been told to shelter-in-place due to the flooding situation, and numerous roads in the city were closed. Flooding has also been reported inHouston. FOX Weather CorrespondentKatie Byrnewas in Houston on Thursday morning and shared video of high water in the Lake Houston Forest neighborhood. Download The Free Fox Weather App The FOX Forecast Center said the heavy rain andsevere weatherthreat that began Tuesday in Texas is likely to continue through at least the rest of the workweek. A moistatmosphere, with moisture levels running well above average for early June, is what's contributing to the threat, with strong instability and plentiful storm energy aiding in severethunderstormdevelopment. Aswindsremain light in the atmosphere, storms that develop will be slow-moving, thus producing high rainfall totals and increasing thefloodpotential. The FOX Forecast Center said that a stalledcold frontwill act as a focus point for rounds of heavy rain and storms through the rest of the week, including in areas of the Red River Valley that are already quite saturated fromhistoricrain earlier in thespring. The flood threat will shift to the east, putting the Ark-La-Tex region at risk on Thursday. This includes cities fromHoustontoLittle RockinArkansas. On Thursday,Noaa's Weather Prediction Center (WPC) placed the Houston area in a Level 3 out of 4 threat of flash flooding, with the threat shifting into Arkansas on Friday. Most of the state has been placed in a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood threat. Severe weather is also a concern on Thursday. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) placed a large portion of Texas and the Deep South in a Level 1 threat on its5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale. This includes cities likeCorpus Christi, Houston andLufkinin Texas,Lake Charles,AlexandriaandShreveportinLouisianaandJacksoninMississippi. Storms are also possible in theMemphisarea on Thursday. Flooding and severe weather are also a concern in the UpperMidweston Thursday. The FOX Forecast Center said an upper-level disturbance continues to move into the region fromCanada, allowing for an area oflow pressureto develop as acold frontdrapes acrossMinnesota. As the front slows and retreats to the north, more energy advancing out of the Dakotas is expected to move along with it into Minnesota. The low-leveljet streamwill help to funnel in moisture originating from the Gulf, hundreds of miles to the south. That setup will allow for a period of heavy rain across portions of central Minnesota, southeasternNorth Dakota, northeasternSouth Dakotaand extreme westernWisconsin. The WPC placed the region in a Level 2 out of 4 threat of flash flooding on Thursday. This includes theMinneapolis-Saint Paularea. Severe weather is also possible across the region, with the SPC placing areas ofNebraskaand South Dakota in a Level 2 out of 5 threat. A Level 1 threat extends fromColoradoto southern Minnesota and northernIowa. Original article source:4 dead after flash flooding swamps San Antonio as heavy rain in Texas leads to high-water rescues
