While Texans often boast about everything being bigger in their state, when it comes to floods, that’s nothing to brag about. The 1921 Central Texas Flood remains the state’s deadliest, claiming 224 lives and dumping a mind-boggling 40 inches of rain. Thrall got hammered with 38.2 inches in just one day. San Antonio? Eighteen inches and a 12-foot wave of water that killed 51 people. The price tag? $19 million—astronomical for 1921.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the deadly floods that have claimed hundreds of lives and devastated communities statewide.
Fast forward to 2025. Another monster. The second-deadliest flood in Texas history killed between 104 and 130 people, with 160 more missing. Thanks, Tropical Storm Barry. Water levels on the Guadalupe shot up 26 feet in just 45 minutes. That’s not flooding—that’s a liquid wall of death. The tragic event claimed 27 lives at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River.
The Texas Hill Country isn’t called “Flash Flood Alley” for nothing. It’s America’s deadliest flood zone, period. Narrow valleys plus Gulf proximity equals perfect disaster conditions. Toss in some concrete from urban sprawl, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for catastrophe.
Remember Hurricane Harvey in 2017? Nederland measured 60.58 inches of rain. Wettest tropical cyclone in U.S. history. Not exactly a record Texans celebrate over barbecue.
The science is brutal. Flash floods can send water levels jumping 20+ feet in under an hour. When tropical systems dump their moisture, all hell breaks loose. The 2025 flood dropped over a foot of rain in less than 12 hours. River basins amplify the danger downstream. Simple math, terrible consequences.
Each massive loss of life triggers infrastructure improvements. The 1921 disaster gave San Antonio the Olmos Dam. Cold comfort for the families who lost loved ones. President Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, mobilizing federal resources for the devastated region.
Texas leads the nation in weather-related disaster costs since 1980. Billions upon billions of dollars. Lives shattered. Communities underwater. And yet, the next big one is always coming. Texas-sized hubris won’t stop Texas-sized floods.
References
- https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/central-texas-july-4-floods-one-of-deadliest-in-texas-history/
- https://www.cwservicepros.com/emergency-plumbing/worst-storms-texas-flood-prevention/
- https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-states-tx
- https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/the-deadliest-floods-in-texas-history-a-state-at-risk/1793306
- https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/texas-floods-death-toll-hurricane
