Persistent isentropic lift generated showers and thunderstorms that led to excessive rainfall and flash flooding.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.
Persistent isentropic lift generated showers and thunderstorms that led to excessive rainfall and flash flooding.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 20, 1:04 PM CST, 6 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 204 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... - Increasing potential for localized flooding as widespread rain continues today into tonight, including the eastern Hill County, I-35 corridor, and Coastal Plains. - Soggy weather likely to continue the eastern two-thirds of the area again on Tuesday. - Cool weather continues into Tuesday with near normal temperatures Wednesday and a warming trend for late week. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Tuesday night) Issued at 125 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026 Much of South-Central Texas remains under cool and rainy conditions as a large-scale overrunning pattern persists atop a shallow and anomalously cold airmass for this time of year. A sizable swath of 1 to 3 inches of rain has already fallen mainly along and near I-10 corridor between the Hill Country and San Antonio area, and this has already led to closure of some low- water crossings as soils continue to saturate. VWPs from KEWX and KDFX NEXRADs show southerly flow 1-3 km above the surface, allowing a rich flow of elevated moisture to continue towards a mid-level vortmax over the Permian Basin. These broad rains should continue into Tuesday, with the mass of mostly stratiform rain gradually shifting east with time in tandem with the mid-level disturbance. Distinct from that feature, an upper-level shortwave trough to the west is currently moving across northern Mexico and will serve as a trigger for some deep convective activity beginning in the late afternoon and continuing overnight, starting around the Rio Grande and then along the southern edge of the Balcones Escarpment or US-90 corridor west of San Antonio before continuing east to the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains overnight, feeding on a strengthening low level jet. This will likely enhance rainfall amounts for these areas, and potentially overlap with areas that have already seen the highest amounts so far today. Given continued moist ascent ahead of the approaching trough, some of the hi-res models indicate potential for training convection within 90th to 95th percentile PWATs. Despite cooler temperatures and meager instability, this repetitive rains may add a swath of additional 2-4" rain atop of what's already fallen. If these swaths train over more built-up areas on the I-35 corridor... a distinct possibility noted in the hi-res models... this would raise concerns for isolated urban and flash flooding, and this is encapsulated in the WPC's level 2 of 4 (Slight) risk for excessive rainfall today into tonight across the eastern Hill Country, I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains. The evolution and track of these storms will need to be closely monitored tonight. The slower moving, mid-level disturbance currently currently to our west will shift into Oklahoma and continue northeast tomorrow, pushing the favored areas for ascent farther east. The hi-res models tend to show some reduction in rain coverage Tuesday in response, but with moist southerly transport remaining stout, rain chances remain likely tomorrow especially along and east of I-35, along with some isolated to scattered thunder. Temperatures will try to warm up some as southeasterly surface flow makes a rather unconvincing return, but persistent cloud cover will keep highs from climbing much higher than the 60s for most of South-Central Texas. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday through next Monday) Issued at 125 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026 A drying trend should start to kick in midweek as the nearby disturbances aloft move farther east, allowing drier mid-level air to return to our area. Daytime temperatures will gradually trend towards seasonably warm levels by Wednesday. Medium chances (50 to 60 percent) for scattered showers continue through Wednesday for the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains, given the presence of persistent but weaker southerly moist transport. A prevailing moist southerly wind will stick around throughout the second half of the week, which should eventually bring dew points well above average by the weekend. While upper-level ridging never truly reestablishes over our area later this week, warm air aloft should keep more of a lid on shower activity Thursday and Friday and accentuate a warming trend with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. A passerby disturbance to our north is accompanied by a slight increase in rain chances Friday, but currently these changes are quite limited (up to about 20 percent) given the likely capping in place. Over the weekend, amplifying troughing over the Four Corners region may lead to another possible round of showers and storms. The zonal orientation of the broader flow is a limiting factor on this potential and blurs the most favorable timing for rain, but ample conditional instability will be in place to provide an environment suitable for thunderstorms. Highs over the weekend are forecast to stay in the 80s to low 90s, with lows returning humid into the 60s and low 70s with the moist south wind. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1242 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026 A messy weather situation continues across most of the region with a widely varied mix of lowered CIGs and VSBYs. A large area of RA with isolated TSRA continues mostly northeast of a KERV to KSSF line. This should persist today and tonight. Hi-res models have struggled to capture the aviation impacts of this rain, so have leaned towards the better performing statistical guidance in the 18Z TAFs. Overall confidence in forecast precision is low. However, a general lowering trend in CIGs and VSBYs is likely today, with widespread IFR to LIFR CIGs possible tonight. Models have hinted at an increase in some TSRA mainly after 00Z, with enough support to insert PROB30s at KAUS and KSAT. While the overall expanse of rain should shift gradually east with time, improvement of conditions could be quite slow, especially for KAUS/KSAT/KSSF. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Austin Camp Mabry 57 69 63 82 / 80 80 40 50 Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport 58 69 63 81 / 80 80 40 50 New Braunfels Muni Airport 57 72 63 82 / 80 80 40 50 Burnet Muni Airport 55 66 60 79 / 90 80 30 30 Del Rio Intl Airport 59 78 67 83 / 60 10 30 0 Georgetown Muni Airport 57 67 62 80 / 80 80 40 40 Hondo Muni Airport 57 71 64 80 / 90 50 40 30 San Marcos Muni Airport 58 70 63 81 / 80 80 40 60 La Grange - Fayette Regional 59 72 63 81 / 80 80 40 60 San Antonio Intl Airport 59 72 65 82 / 80 70 40 50 Stinson Muni Airport 60 73 65 82 / 80 60 40 40 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Tran LONG TERM....Tran AVIATION...Tran
The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:08 UTC.
5 flash flood, 3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. The Emergency Manager reported a swift water rescue near the intersection of Nacogdoches Rd. and Cattleman St. in Live Oak.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flooding of River Ranch at Leon Creek in Leon Springs.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. Pictures on X showed Salado Creek out of its banks north of San Antonio International Airport.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding on San Pedro Ave. at Olmos Creek in San Antonio.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to street flooding around the Cedar Creek Golf Course in northwestern San Antonio.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. Salado Creek overflowed at Seguin Rd.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain Monday and Monday night across the northeast side of San Antonio. Between 4 and 6 inches of rain occurred. This caused a quick rise into flood stage on Salado Creek early Tuesday morning. A 44 year old man was killed by the flood waters in the Salado Creek Greenway, near J Street Park. Authorities were not able to determine how the man got into the water, but was suspected of being homeless and living near the creek.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding closing several low water crossings across Williamson County.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Bexar | 2026-04-21 | 44 | Male | Unknown | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1333705, 1333711, 1333706, 1333707, 1333722, 1333709, 1333730, 1333710.