A moist airmass remains over the region of Texas where devastating flooding occurred Friday, with little movement and ample moisture. This combination means that the area should remain on alert for more flash flooding, as repeated rounds of heavy rain could fall over areas already affected.
Northwest of Austin: Early Saturday, 6.5 inches (a 1-in-100-year rainfall rate) to 7.5 inches (a 1-in-200-year rainfall rate) of rain fell in just 3 hours in Burnet, Texas — which amounts to a 1% chance or less of this happening in any given year.
A flash flood emergency was issued for western Travis County and then expanded into much of Burnet County and western parts of Williamson County on Saturday morning. Rainfall totals for this area have already reached 5 to 10 inches. Ten inches of rain is also about the average rainfall expected in the Austin area in a three-month period — which fell in just 3 hours.
The high rainfall rates led to water inundating homes overnight near Allen Branch Creek in Burnet, according to the emergency management office of Cedar Park. Emergency management officials also reported that water came into the first floors of homes near Liberty Hill, Texas, prompting water rescues.
Showers and thunderstorms are possible through this weekend, but the heaviest rainfall is expected to be farther east than the worst-hit areas so far. A flood watch remains in effect through Saturday evening, with 2 to 4 inches of additional rainfall possible. Any additional rain could aggravate ongoing flooding and lead to new flooding as the ground is saturated.
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