US EditionTexas NWS Office Had No Warning Coordination Meteorologist During the Flood. Did It Make a Difference?
KERR COUNTY, TEXAS, JUL 13 – Kerr County officials delayed using the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System during the July 4 floods, contributing to over 120 deaths and 150 missing, The Washington Post reported.
- Catastrophic flash flooding occurred on July 4 along the Guadalupe River in Texas's Hill Country, killing over 120 people and leaving many missing.
- The National Weather Service office in Austin/San Antonio lacked a warning coordination meteorologist who retired months before, raising questions about warning communication.
- The NWS promptly issued flash flood warnings starting at 1:14 a.m. and maintained communication with emergency managers, yet the authorities in Kerr County chose not to utilize the IPAWS system to disseminate alerts.
- NWS spokesperson Erica Grow Cei stated that all forecasts were timely, and NOAA noted warnings were sent to cellphones and weather radios, but sirens were absent along the river.
- The tragedy highlights the 'last mile problem' of warning dissemination and suggests authorities' failure to use all alert tools may have affected residents' timely response.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Texas Officials Did Not Use Technology That Would Have Sent Lifesaving Messages amid Flooding Tragedy: Report
'The Washington Post' obtained messages from a National Weather Service meteorologist warning Kerr County officials about potential flash flooding beginning at 1 a.m. on July 4 Eric Vryn/Getty Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.NEED TO KNOWA new report found that officials in Kerr County, Texas, did not use technology that would have sent lifesaving emergency messages to everyone in the v…
Texas NWS office had no warning coordination meteorologist during the flood. Did it make a difference?
On the night the deadly floodwaters raged down the Guadalupe River in Texas, the National Weather Service forecast office in Austin/San Antonio was missing a key member of its team: the warning coordination meteorologist, who had retired just a few months prior.
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