If you’ve driven through Kerrville or Hunt lately, you know the vibe is still a little heavy. Honestly, walking down to the Guadalupe River right now feels different than it did a couple of years ago. People are constantly checking their phones, not for texts, but for weather apps. There is no active Kerr County flooding today, January 17, 2026. In fact, we are looking at a Red Flag Warning for fire risk because it’s so dry and windy. But if you talk to anyone at a local coffee shop, the "flooding" topic is never more than a few minutes away.
That’s because the Hill Country is still reeling from the July 4th catastrophe.
It's been six months. The water is long gone—the USGS gauges at Kerrville are showing a measly 1.25 feet—but the scars are everywhere. You can see it in the snapped cypress trees and the empty spots where houses used to sit in Center Point and Ingram. Today is about recovery, but in this part of Texas, "today's flooding" is a state of mind. We are all just waiting for the next wall of water to come down the canyon.
What’s Actually Happening with Kerr County Flooding Today
Right now, the Guadalupe River at Kerrville is sitting way below the action stage. NOAA has the gauge at about $1.25$ feet. For context, the "Action Stage" doesn't even start until $7$ feet. We are miles away from the $37.51$-foot crest we saw last summer.
But here is the thing: the county is moving fast on infrastructure. Just this week, Kerr County commissioners approved the next steps for a massive $5 million permanent flood siren system. They're trying to fix the "communication gap" that basically cost lives during the last surge. The idea is to have sirens operational by May 1st.
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Why the Hill Country is a "Flash Flood Alley"
Geology is a beast here. We live on the Balcones Escarpment. It’s a fancy way of saying we have big hills that force moist air up, causing it to dump rain all at once. When that rain hits the limestone, it doesn't soak in. It runs. It gathers speed. It turns a dry creek into a 20-foot wall of debris in about twenty minutes.
Most people think they can outrun it. You can't.
- The 1932 Record: 39 feet.
- The 1987 Flood: 37.72 feet.
- The 2025 Disaster: 37.51 feet.
See the pattern? These "100-year floods" seem to happen every couple of decades.
The Reality of the Current Recovery Effort
If you're looking for Kerr County flooding today info because you're worried about road closures, the news is mostly good, but with a catch. TxDOT is currently holding meetings about replacing bridge crossings at Crossing Street and Ehlers Road. Those spots got absolutely hammered. They aren't "closed" in the emergency sense, but they are under heavy scrutiny for long-term safety.
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There’s also a huge $10$ million relief fund that just went live for small businesses. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is running that out of the Kerr Together Resource Center. It’s not just about rebuilding walls; it’s about keeping the local economy from collapsing.
Honestly, the mood is a mix of grit and anxiety.
You’ve got volunteers trying to replant 50,000 Cypress trees along the riverbanks. It sounds like a lot, and it is. Those trees are the only thing that holds the soil together when the Guadalupe decides to move. Without them, the next "today" involving rain will be much worse for property owners.
The Problem with the Warning Systems
We have to talk about the "Code Red" system. During the July flood, an alert went out at 4:40 a.m. telling people in Hunt to get to high ground. But it only reached about 1,100 people. In a county of over 50,000, that’s a drop in the bucket.
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Local leaders like Sheriff Larry Leitha and County Judge Rob Kelly have been under the microscope because of the delays. Recent text message leaks showed a lot of confusion in the early morning hours while the river was peaking at $35$ feet. This is why the new sirens are such a big deal. They don't rely on you having a charged cell phone or a good signal in a canyon.
How to Stay Safe When the Rain Returns
Even though it's dry today, the weather in Kerr County changes in a heartbeat. You should probably do these things now while the sun is out:
- Register for CodeRed: Go to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office website. It’s free. Do it now.
- Learn the Gauges: Bookmark the USGS and NOAA water gauge pages for "Guadalupe River at Kerrville." If it hits $9$ feet, that’s minor flooding. If it hits $12$, things are getting serious.
- Identify High Ground: If you live near Highway 39 or the river in Hunt, know exactly where you are going at 3:00 a.m. in the dark.
- Get a Weather Radio: Cell towers fail. A battery-powered NOAA weather radio doesn't.
The most important thing to remember about Kerr County flooding today is that the danger is rarely the rain falling on your head. It’s the rain that fell 20 miles upstream three hours ago. By the time you see the clouds, the river might already be rising.
Keep an eye on the TxDOT "Drive Texas" map for any sudden low-water crossing closures. Even a few inches of moving water can sweep a truck off the road. Don't be the person they have to send a helicopter for. Stay weather-aware, especially as we head back into the spring storm season.
Check the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office for the latest local briefings. They are the pros who track the cells moving off the Edwards Plateau. If they say a flash flood watch is in effect, believe them. The Guadalupe is beautiful, but it has no mercy when it's out of its banks.