Residents along the San Saba River, from Menard on down, were confronted by another bout of heavy rains this year, resulting in the third major flooding event on that waterway in 2025.
According to a report from Menard County Judge Brandon Corbin at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon:
“We’re over 9 inches in town with reports of 12 [inches] in some places, but the rain has slowed in the last half hour and city streets are clearing. The main concern now is that the river is forecast to peak at 19 feet, which would be just short of where it floods town.”
Corbin went on to relay that most highways were ponding badly and that first responders had already been dispatched to several vehicles that had hydroplaned off of the roadway.
Following the deadly flood events earlier in the year, officials weren’t slow to sound the alarm, as Menard County ordered precautionary evacuations Thursday at local RV parks and nearby campsites after rainfall exceeding 10 inches had been reported.
Flood Prone River
The July 4th flood event, which impacted communities from Midland southwest through the Hill Country, dropped an estimated 13.53 inches of rain on several parts of Texas including Menard, causing life-threatening flooding, was followed July 13 by a subsequent flood triggered by more rains on still saturated ground.
According to historical data, the last time the San Saba River flooded three times in one year was 1971, when floods came down in July, August and September.
According to historical data, the San Saba River flooded twice in 1974.
Other major flood events on the San Saba River occurred in 1864, 1882, 1883, 1899, 1908, 1922, 1933, the statewide flood event of 1936, and then in again 1938.
Minor floods were reported in several years.
