Amid heavy rains in central Texas, fresh flood warnings have been issued as rivers in the Concho Valley and Hill County are rising again, just over a week after the area was devastated by July 4 flash floods.
A wide swathe of the region got between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10cm) of rainfall, with some spots getting more than 8 inches as thunderstorms continue to pound the area, said Scott Kleebauer, a forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center, according to news agency Bloomberg.
More storms have also been predicted later in the day.
“It is one of those set ups; there will definitely be heavy rainfall again tonight,” said Kleebauer.
“Those areas down there are so sensitive, so that any type of heavy rainfall could cause a problem,” he added.
The Guadalupe River in Kerrville is forecast to rise by nearly 6.8 feet by Sunday afternoon as another slug of water rushes downstream, the National Weather Service said.
While the San Saba River in the city of the same name, northwest of Austin, has already risen over 2 feet and is forecast to rise another 20 feet by Tuesday.
Texas was hit by devastating floods on July 4, when heavy rains led to swollen rivers.
Kerrville, a small town about 55 miles (85 km) northwest of San Antonio, was the worst hit.
The swollen Guadalupe River had struck a girls’ summer camp, killing at least 27 children and counselors.
Emergency crews suspend search for flood victims
Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in central Texas on Sunday morning amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge.
It was the first time a new round of severe weather has paused the search since the flooding earlier this month.
Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high.
Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding that killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 missing.