Abandoned cars, many submerged in water, littered back roads that tired drivers risked after heavy downpours flooded Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin, closing one of the busiest stretches of roadway in the U.S.
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Storms have made travel hard in the Houston area, where heavy rain and flooding have washed out roads and stopped a few public transit.
Several students and adults were rescued when their school bus became stranded in high water near San Antonio.
The eight church members and another couple staying at the inn were brought to safety, along with the inn’s owners.
Strong storms thundering across central and southern Texas have put the region under a tornado watch through Friday morning.
The storms and suspected tornadoes, which forecasters say were caused by an upper-level disturbance from Mexico, socked an already-sodden swath of Texas that was still drying out from the remnants of Hurricane Patricia.
The National Weather Service says tornadoes caused damage in three Houston-area communities.
In the Houston area, up to 8 inches of rain have fallen since Friday night, and will continue to fall until early Saturday afternoon, Blood said.
Almost 6 inches of rain fell within an hour at the airport, the National Weather Service said, flooding the ground floor of the Austin Air Traffic Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. A fast-moving storm packing heavy rain and destructive winds overwhelmed rivers and prompted evacuations Friday in… This time, the river swelled to about 26 feet in Wimberley, almost twice the flood stage.
KVUE reporters trekked out to find him, and he was soon after rescued.
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jason Reyes says minor injuries were reported southeast of San Antonio where possible tornadoes destroyed buildings.
The Austin airport has temporarily closed its airfield due to torrential rains and heavy winds rolling through Central Texas. Mike Stoner gets out of his flooded vehicle, Friday, October 30, 2015 in San Marcos, Texas. The flooded portion of Interstate 35 was reopened later Friday, but not before southbound drivers turned against traffic and tried driving north along the shoulder.
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“Damaging winds are still possible, even though we likely don’t have a tornado on the ground anymore”, said NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins.
