FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — The Pedernales River has turned deadly, and emergency managers say the worst may not be over yet.
A Flash Flood Emergency — the most severe warning federal forecasters can issue — is in effect for Gillespie and Blanco counties as a fast-moving flood wave tears downstream through the Texas Hill Country. The Fredericksburg gauge hit 31.48 feet Thursday morning and was still climbing, with no sign of cresting.
Federal forecasters have classified this event as a Particularly Dangerous Situation, a rare designation reserved for floods capable of catastrophic destruction. It is not a routine warning.
Towns in the Direct Path
Residents in Fredericksburg, Johnson City, and Stonewall are being ordered — not advised — to move to higher ground immediately. Emergency management officials on the ground have confirmed the severity of conditions along the river corridor.
The window to act safely is closing.
Do Not Go Near the Water
Authorities are issuing an unambiguous directive: do not walk through flood water, do not swim in it, and do not drive through it under any circumstances.
Flooded roads may look crossable. They are not. The force of moving water at flood stage can overturn vehicles and sweep away adults in seconds. Turn around. Do not continue.
More Rain Is Still Falling
Radar shows heavy to extreme rainfall continuing across Mason, Llano, and the surrounding Hill Country — the same region that feeds the Pedernales. That means water levels are not expected to stabilize quickly. Every inch of new rain adds to a river that is already at emergency stage.
The Flash Flood Emergency is set to expire at 4:30 p.m. CDT Thursday, but conditions remain active and dangerous.
If you are near the Pedernales River or any of its low-lying roads and crossings, leave now. Do not wait to see what the water does next.