By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rio set a daily rainfall record Tuesday.
According to Del Rio area climate data on the website of the National Weather Service (NWS), Del Rio posted a total of 1.62 inches of rain between 12:01 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, setting a record for July 14. The old record of 1.39 inches for the date was set in 1994.
NWS data show Del Rio has now received 9.28 inches of rain since the first of the year, just 0.72 inches less than the normal value of 10 inches by this time of year. In comparison, the city had received only 3.68 inches of rain by July 14, 2025.
Other gauges around the area recorded even higher rainfall totals.
Del Rio meteorologist Daniel Schreiber told The 830 Times today a gauge in the San Pedro Estates area at Lake Amistad recorded 2.50 inches of rain, a gauge in the Ceniza Hills area of the city measured 2.33 inches of rain, and a gauge on Frontera Road near the Del Rio Industrial Park recorded 1.84 inches of rain.
Schreiber also provided rainfall totals measured by several other gauges, including 1.91 inches of rain at Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, 1.59 inches at Laughlin Air Force Base and 1.56 inches of rain in the Alta Vista area of Del Rio.
Schreiber said, “Some locations in the southern Hill Country north of Uvalde and Sabinal along the Frio, Dry Frio and Sabinal Rivers measured 8-12 inches.”
Asked if the recent heavy rains were part of the “Super El Niño” weather pattern expected this year, Schreiber replied, “This heavy rainfall episode is not really a result of an El Niño set-up but more of a tropical moisture surge underneath a strong ridge of high pressure to our north.
“It has actually been hotter in portions of the Midwest U.S. than it has in Del Rio, which is strange for this time of year. Basically, this high pressure over the central plains is serving as a bubble, and we’re on the periphery of that bubble, where storms are often known to occur.
“Because this bubble is not moving anywhere fast, it allows for significant moisture to be pumped into our area as well as long-lasting rainstorms, resulting in flash flooding,” the meteorologist added.
Schreiber said, “Today, the Del Rio-Uvalde area is sitting in a ‘High’ risk zone for flash flooding according to the NWS, which is statistically a very rare occurrence for such an aggressive forecast.”
Del Rio remains under a flood watch until 7 p.m. Thursday, with rain forecast for today and Thursday.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
