Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1847
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1847
02 Apr 2026
 | 02 Apr 2026
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).

Brief Communication: Rise of the Guadalupe River- A Multifaceted Post Event Analysis of the July 4, 2025, Flood in Central Texas

Anupal Baruah, Dinuke Munasinghe, Sagy Cohen, Mohamed Abdelkader, Dipsikha Devi, Yixian Chen, and Humberto Vergara

Abstract. The flash flooding across Central Texas on July 4th, 2025, caused more than 130 fatalities and property losses exceeding 20 billion dollars. The objective of this study is to diagnose the drivers of this catastrophic event and to analyze the temporal variability in forecasting flood inundation dynamics in the hours leading up to and during the event. Using the Operational National Water Model short-range streamflow forecast product, we generated 306 forecasted flood inundation maps between July 3rd and July 4th, 2025. For evaluation, we constructed an inundation extent benchmark derived from USGS high water marks. Both impact-based and pixel-based assessments are presented.

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Anupal Baruah, Dinuke Munasinghe, Sagy Cohen, Mohamed Abdelkader, Dipsikha Devi, Yixian Chen, and Humberto Vergara

Status: open (until 14 May 2026)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
Anupal Baruah, Dinuke Munasinghe, Sagy Cohen, Mohamed Abdelkader, Dipsikha Devi, Yixian Chen, and Humberto Vergara

Data sets

FIMBench Dipsikha Devi et al. https://github.com/sdmlua/fimbench

Model code and software

FIMserv Anupal Baruah et al. https://github.com/sdmlua/FIMserv

Anupal Baruah, Dinuke Munasinghe, Sagy Cohen, Mohamed Abdelkader, Dipsikha Devi, Yixian Chen, and Humberto Vergara
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Latest update: 02 Apr 2026
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Short summary
We examine the catastrophic Central Texas flash flood of July 2025 to understand why forecasts underestimated its severity. We analyzed operational river flow forecasts and compared flood inundation maps against observed high water marks. Results show that peak flooding was missed due to errors in rainfall estimates and failures in monitoring stations, leading to underestimation of impacts. We highlight the need for uncertainty aware flood predictions to better support emergency response.
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