Over the 2025 Fourth of July weekend, tremendous rain fell across central Texas, specifically a region known as the Texas Hill Country, an area that is prone to flash floods. These immense rains lead to a rapid onset of widespread flash flooding, causing large amounts of destruction and the loss of many lives.

After making landfall along the gulf coast of Mexico on June 29, 2025, the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry began to move north towards Texas. This abundant amount of moisture from the tropics added a lot of precipitable water to the atmosphere, contributing to the historic rainfall that occurred over the Texas Hill Country.

During the night of July 3 and the early morning hours of July 4, heavy amounts of precipitation fell in the span of just a few hours, with some communities seeing nearly 12 inches (30 cm) during that short timeframe.

The Guadalupe River and the Llano River became quickly swollen with water. The Guadalupe River specifically rose over 20 feet (6 meters) in the span of just a few hours. The Guadeloupe River river flows through Kerr County, Texas, which experienced some of the hardest hit areas from these floods.

The catastrophic flooding that occurred resulted in over 100 people losing their lives, including the deaths of over two dozen campers and counselors at the Camp Mystic summer camp in Hunt, Texas. As of August 11, 2025, 135 people have died as a result of the floods.

A large portion of the Texas Hill Country saw at least 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) of rainfall during the holiday weekend, with some of the largest amounts being between 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm). Lake Travis near Austin, Texas saw its water level rise nearly 20 feet (6 meters) as a result of the flooding.

For more information, visit the Weather Prediction Center. For information on the current water levels across the Texas Hill Country, visit the National Water Prediction Service.