What weather conditions led to Texas flash floods

Atmosphere warmed by climate change can hold more moisture & allow bad storms to dump more rain

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Incredible amounts of moisture in the air fueled a storm that moved slowly and dumped rain over central Texas, creating conditions for fatal flash floods in the early morning hours when it was easy to catch people by surprise, meteorologists said.

More than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain fell in the Texas Hill Country over a span of several hours early Friday, causing water levels to quickly rise, according to the weather forecasting company AccuWeather.

The area is naturally prone to flash flooding, but this was an especially bad storm that hit during the vulnerable overnight hours, experts said.

Dozens of deaths have been reported along with numerous rescues.

Meteorologists said that an atmosphere warmed by human-caused climate change can hold more moisture and allow bad storms to dump more rain, though it's hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur.