On the night the deadly floodwaters raged down the Guadalupe River in Texas, the National Weather Service forecast office in Austin/San Antonio was missing a key member of its team: the warning coordination meteorologist,

Over 9 inches of rain has already fallen north of the KVUE area in the San Saba area prompting a rare Flash Flood Emergency. Importantly, this flooding north of the KVUE area is likely to send more water into Lake Buchanan, which is now within about 5 feet of full pool.

The early warnings and alerts from the National Weather Service didn’t indicate a catastrophic flood was on its way.

Meteorologists say incredible amounts of moisture in the air fueled a storm that moved slowly over central Texas, creating conditions for fatal flash floods.

Governor Abbott activates Texas emergency response resources ahead of severe weather and potential flash flooding.

Some experts say staff shortages might have complicated forecasters’ ability to coordinate responses with local emergency management officials.

Weather model data shows the National Weather Service had reason to warn of higher flood risks. Still, meteorologists say the agency made reasonable predictions.