The flash flood threat that gripped Texas and the Appalachians a day earlier has widened rather than eased, with 25 Flash Flood Warnings active Tuesday across Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada and Texas — more than double Monday’s count of 12 warnings, even as the geographic footprint has shifted west.
Texas remains the epicenter. The National Weather Service in San Angelo issued warnings for southwestern Schleicher County and northeastern Sutton County after Doppler radar showed 1 to 3 inches of rain had already fallen, with the warning in effect until 8:30 a.m. CDT. Farther west, the Weather Service office in Midland/Odessa extended a warning for northeastern Pecos County until 9 a.m. CDT, citing 1 to 3 inches of rain already on the ground and another 1 to 2 inches possible. Additional counties under warnings stretch across the Hill Country and West Texas, including Irion, Tom Green, Concho, Crockett, McCulloch, San Saba, Menard, Kimble and Mason, along with Bexar and Comal counties near San Antonio.
What’s new since Monday is the spread beyond Texas and the southern Appalachians, which have dropped out of today’s warning list entirely. Montana has emerged as an unexpected front: the Weather Service warned that flash flooding remains possible through late tonight across a portion of northeastern Montana, including Central and Southeast Phillips, Petroleum and Southwest Phillips counties, where excessive runoff threatens rivers, creeks and low-lying roads. Louisiana’s warnings are centered on Lafayette, while Illinois and Nevada also have active alerts tied to the same pattern of slow-moving, rain-heavy storms.
Forecasters attribute the ongoing risk to thunderstorms repeatedly training over the same ground, a setup that produces rainfall rates capable of overwhelming drainage faster than storms move through. The Weather Service is urging residents in and near San Antonio weather and across the warned counties to avoid driving through flooded roadways, repeating its standard guidance: turn around, don’t drown, since most flood deaths occur in vehicles. The agency also flagged elevated danger after dark, when high water on roads is harder to spot.
With warnings still being extended in Texas hours after sunrise and Montana’s threat not peaking until tonight, the Weather Service says additional Flash Flood Warnings are likely before the pattern breaks. Forecasters are advising residents in the warned areas, including those near Lafayette weather, to monitor later forecasts and be prepared to act quickly if new warnings are issued.