BREAKING: Multiple Fatalities Reported In Catastrophic Texas Flood

Extreme flood damage in Kerrville, Texas today. 
Multiple fatalities feared from flash flood overnight
and today after 10+ inches of rain fell in just hours.

 An extreme, catastrophic flash flood killed an unknown number of people northwest of San Antonio, Texas. Early reports suggest the death toll could be high. 

Local media confirmed six deaths as of early this afternoon. 

But many more are missing, including an unknown number of  children who were at more than a dozen summer camps along the Guadalupe River in and near Kerrville, Texas.

Kerrville is about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio. .

Thankfully, many of the summer camps along the river reported all children at their respective locations were accounted for and had been moved to safe places. 

Around 10 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours overnight. The river rose 22 feet in over three hours. Downstream in Comfort, Texas, the river rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes. 

The Guadalope is usually not much more than a trickle over the summer. Its banks are lined with RV parks, summer camps and vacation cabins. Most of which were busy for the Fourth of July holiday.

The storm's timing could not have been worse, catching people unaware in the pre-dawn hours as they slept.  The river in many cases rose too fast to get out of the way in time. 

Video on social media and witness accounts described houses, cars and RVs racing along the rapids of the Guadalupe River. Video also showed rescuers on boats plucking people clinging to trees just above the fast flowing water. 

The flooding was still unfolding this afternoon as a powerful flood crest blasted downstream.  Hasty evacuations were ongoing. 

The Guadalupe River flood last night and today comes less than a month after another extreme rainstorm unleashed a flash flood in San Antonio that swept numerous cars away, killing 13 people. 

In that case, about four inches of rain fell in just one hour. 

These two Texas tragedies are part of an increasing trend toward extreme flash floods in the age of climate change. The warmer atmosphere can hold more water, and under the right conditions, can unload torrential rains much heavier than most storms in the past. 

We saw something like this last July 30 in Vermont, when a local storm across the Northeast Kingdom dumped more than eight inches of rain in a few hours, causing catastrophic floods in and near Lyndonville. 

The Texas Guadalupe River flood is a developing story. We'll have more in future posts. 

VIDEO

Scenes of destruction around Kerrville, Texas in a news video. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.