At least three people died in a South Texas county after around 20 inches of rain fell on the Rio Grande Valley, causing what the state agriculture commissioner called catastrophic flooding.
The deaths occurred in Hidalgo County, near the U.S.-Mexico border, where County Judge Richard F. Cortez issued a disaster declaration.
More details about the deaths were not immediately released, “except that they involved law enforcement efforts,” the county said in a statement.
“This is a devastating tragedy for our Valley community,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Friday.
The rain was also blamed for one death in Mexico. The Mexican state of Tamaulipas reported that an 83-year-old man drowned in Reynosa, which is across the border from McAllen, The Associated Press reported. McAllen is in Hidalgo County.
A slow-moving upper-level trough over Mexico brought thunderstorms and rain to parts of South Texas near the border this week, including to Hidalgo County, the National Weather Service said in forecast discussions.
That trough was exiting to the east and no more significant rainfall was expected Friday night, but flooding was forecast to continue, the weather service said.
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