Texas, flash flood and heavy rainfall
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A flood watch was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX on Saturday at 11:59 a.m. valid from 1 p.m. until Sunday 7 p.m. The watch is for Johnson, Ellis, Bosque, Hill, Coryell, Bell, McLennan, Falls and Milam counties.
Heavy rains fell quickly in the predawn hours of Friday in the Texas Hill Country, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.
Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.
Heavy rain and isolated flash flooding are possible this weekend in North Texas. Before storms later in the weekend, conditions will be warm and humid on Friday, July 11, according to the National Weather Service Fort Worth. Temperatures will be in the low to mid-90s, with heat index values in the triple digits.
"Let's put an end to the conspiracy theories and stop blaming others," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement.
There was little indication of how torrential the Texas downpours would become before dawn. At least 27 people were killed, many of them children at Camp Mystic.
Climate change is likely to make extreme weather events like those experienced in Texas occur more intensely and more frequently, scientists are warning.
Texas leads the country in flood deaths. Steep hills, shallow soils and a fault zone have made Hill Country, also called "flash flood alley," one of the state's most dangerous regions.