The first weather emergency alert sent by the National Weather Service with urgent language instructing people to "seek higher ground now" was sent at 4:03 a.m. local time.

The risk of the catastrophic flooding that struck Texas Hill Country as people slept on July 4 and left at least 120 dead was potentially underestimated by federal authorities, according to an ABC News analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, satellite imagery and risk modeling.

Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people.

Weather models that meteorologists use to predict thunderstorm activity and heavy precipitation suggested on Thursday the possibility of 10 inches of rain — and even as much as 20 inches — across

Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, joins ABC News Live to discuss the flood preparations and response efforts after the devastating floods in Texas. July 11, 2025 at 12:23 AM July 10, 2025 at 11:32 PM

As I wrote in a companion piece this weekend, the National Weather Service issued guidance and warning information in the days to hours leading up to the massive flood event. However, questions exist about whether there were challenges getting the information across what my colleague Bob Henson calls the “last mile” to the public via emergency management and communication channels.

Central Texas is infamous for its flash flooding and arid soil, hard-packed ground into which water does not easily infiltrate. So when rain hits the ground, it runs off the region's hilly terrain and canyons and accumulates into creeks and rivers rapidly, overwhelming them, causing them to rise quickly.

The deadly consequences of Trump’s National Weather Service budget cuts.

As President Donald Trump visits Texas and as recovery of victims continues, I hope Democrats will hit pause on their partisan rhetoric.

Exhausted volunteers were still trying to find dead bodies wiped out by the disaster in Sunday when they were told to evacuate via the new alert.