A perfect storm of circumstances created a worst-case scenario for flooded Texas communities<br/>In the early hours of Independence Day, rain pelted sleeping communities in central Texas. No one knew yet how devastating the storm would become.<br/><br/>Entire neighborhoods vanished in flash flooding throughout the weekend, while residents and campers were swept away in the surging waters.<br/><br/>The death toll across the state eclipsed 100 by Tuesday, and search and rescue efforts persist.<br/><br/>As communities continue recovering from the catastrophic floods, questions swirl around how this tragedy happened.<br/><br/>Several compounding factors made the flooding in central Texas a worst-case scenario.<br/><br/>A summer’s worth of rain quickly fell over bone-dry soil<br/>The National Weather Service began forecasting the threat of flooding in Kerr County as early as Thursday morning with a hazardous flood outlook.<br/><br/>But the conditions turned deadly when more than an entire summer’s worth of rain fell in some areas over just a few hours Friday morning.<br/><br/>A timelapse video captured on Friday shows how quickly floodwaters rose along the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas.<br/>A timelapse video captured on Friday shows how quickly floodwaters rose along the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas. Robert Ivey<br/>Hunt, Texas, received about 6.5 inches of rain in just three hours — a 1-in-100-year rainfall event for  <a href="https://solar-queen.com/">strategy solar queen</a> the area.<br/><br/>Drought conditions in central Texas are among the worst in the United States, making it difficult for the bone-dry soil to absorb rain and leaving the area particularly susceptible to flooding.<br/><br/>The pouring rain sent river levels surging and triggered flash flooding.<br/><br/>The Guadalupe River, which runs along several summer camps, rose from about 3 feet to 30 feet on Friday.<br/><br/>The overwhelming rainfall is another example of rising global temperatures pushing weather toward extremes, events that are becoming more and more frequent.<br/><br/>Texas has already seen multiple dangerous flooding events this year, and the United States saw a record number of flash flood emergencies last year.<br/><br/>Children’s camps located in areas known to have high flood risk<br/>There are at least 18 camps, including Camp Mystic, situated along the Guadalupe River. Many of them are in areas known to flood.<br/><br/>Some, like Camp Mystic, were in session when the floods hit. The all-girls Christian camp had about 750 campers on site.<br/><br/>As the nearby river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours during Friday’s rains, at least 12 of those camps sustained flood damage. Some of it was catastrophic.<br/><br/>When more rain falls than the ground can absorb, it runs downhill, pulled by <a href="https://www.deer-digest.com/?s=gravity">gravity</a> into streams, creeks and rivers. The rain fills the waterways beyond their banks and the excess overflows in predictable patterns that follow the terrain.<br/><br/>Camp Mystic is located at a dangerous confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and <a href="https://www.purevolume.com/?s=Cypress">Cypress</a> Creek, where flood waters converged. Much of the camp carries at least some level of known flood risk, according to FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Lay

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