In the early hours of Independence Day, rain pelted sleeping communities in central Texas. No one knew yet how devastating the storm would become.

A plume of Saharan dust is expected to arrive over the Houston area Thursday and Friday and it could reduce daily storm chances.

Heavy rain poured over parts of central Texas, dumping more than a month's worth of rain for places like San Angelo.

Flooding is the deadliest natural disaster facing Oklahomans, a threat far greater than tornadoes. In the United States, flooding kills an average of 103 people a year. Tornadoes, however, caused 48 deaths on average during the same period, according to the National Weather Service.

The intense rainfall and flash floods are the deadliest weather disaster in the US since President Donald Trump's administration conducted mass staff cuts at two key weather and climate agencies : the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organisation (NOAA) and its subsidiary, the National Weather Service (NWS).

A small Texas town that recorded no deaths in last weekend’s flood disaster had recently upgraded its emergency alert system — the kind of setup state, county and federal officials

Deadly floods like those in Texas are rare in California, but climate change-fueled storms could make them more likely, climate scientists say.