'Extremely dangerous' flooding expands from San Antonio into Hill Country, closing roads and prompting rescues

Flooding that started in San Antonio early Monday widened into the Texas Hill Country, closing roads in Bandera County and near Boerne while officials warned drivers to stay away from moving water and low-water crossings.

The storm system produced heavy rain before dawn, triggered a Flash Flood Warning across parts of the region and led to a broad flood response from local fire departments, sheriff's offices, city officials and transportation crews. By late morning, the emergency had stretched from the city core to rural roads and creek crossings to the northwest.

San Antonio hit first

The first disruption came in San Antonio, where flooding closed dozens of roads across Bexar County, most of them on the North Side. The Express-News reported more than 40 road closures early Monday as water pooled across streets and major connectors.

The flooding also affected the power grid. The Express-News reported more than 10,300 CPS Energy customers were without service around 7:30 a.m., with outages concentrated on the North, Northwest and West sides.

One of the most serious incidents came on Loop 410 at Jackson Keller Road, where westbound lanes closed at about 6:15 a.m. during a high-water rescue. The lanes reopened by 10:31 a.m., but the closure showed how quickly the storm turned roads into hazards.

The San Antonio Fire Department said it handled 20 water-rescue responses and investigations beginning around 6 a.m. That count included stranded motorists and other emergencies tied to fast-rising water.

Emergency spreads to the Hill Country

As the morning went on, the flooding pushed farther into the Hill Country. In Bandera County, officials described the situation as "extremely dangerous" and closed several roads and high-water areas, including Hackberry, Maple, 14th, 15th and Mulberry streets, along with Privilege Creek Road and State Highway 16 South.

MySA reported that volunteer firefighters in Sisterdale responded to multiple rescues involving stranded vehicles and people. The same report said Farm to Market 1376 at Wasp Creek was closed because of flood damage.

Boerne also took action after Cibolo Creek overflowed onto streets. City officials closed Herff Road, River Road and Esser Road as runoff spread through the area.

The expanding set of closures showed that the threat was no longer limited to one city block or one drainage basin. Instead, the storm was affecting low-lying routes across a wider part of the San Antonio region.

Rainfall and risk

The intensity of the rainfall helped explain the scale of the disruption. The Express-News reported 2.61 inches at San Antonio International Airport, setting a June 15 rainfall record and breaking a mark that had stood since 1894.

That kind of short-window rainfall is especially dangerous on roads that cross creeks, drain into low-water crossings or sit in flood-prone dips. Water can rise faster than drivers can judge, which is why officials repeatedly told the public not to drive through flooded streets or around barricades.

The weather threat also remained active. The National Weather Service had a Flash Flood Warning in effect for parts of Bexar, Bandera, Kendall, Medina, Blanco, Hays and Travis counties, along with a broader Flood Watch through Tuesday evening.

What authorities and drivers face next

The immediate questions were how long the warning would last, whether runoff would trigger more closures and how many additional rescues or injuries might be reported later in the day. Officials were still monitoring road conditions, creek levels and low-water crossings across the region.

CPS Energy outage totals could also change as crews restore service and storms shift. Transportation agencies and emergency responders were expected to keep adjusting closures as long as flooding remained active.

For motorists, the advice from local officials stayed the same: avoid flooded roads, do not cross moving water and obey barricades. In this kind of storm, a route that looks passable can turn dangerous within minutes.

The flooding already moved from a San Antonio commute problem into a broader Hill Country emergency. With more rain possible and runoff still flowing, officials said the situation could remain fluid through the afternoon and into the next weather update.