Austin weather: Llano River reaches moderate flood stage due to heavy rain

LLANO COUNTY, Texas - The hot dry summer put a lot of counties in Central Texas in a drought. Thursday mornings showers brought a lot of joy in Llano County.

"We were elated because earlier this summer, like a month ago, this was five feet down below the dam, it wasn’t even spilling over the waterway," says Resident Gina Salazar.

Now, the Llano River in Llano has passed through a stage of 12 feet, which puts it in a moderate flood stage. The river is expected to remain in this flood stage through early Thursday afternoon.

"Today was a total surprise because we watch the weather in this country," says resident Mike East.

READ MORE: Austin weather: Tornado Warnings end; Flash Flood Warning extended until 4 p.m.

According to the FOX 7 Austin Weather team, Llano County saw about 3 and a half inches of rain. 

Wednesday night's heavy rain brought multiple street closures. Slab Road is temporarily closed off.

"We had people try to go through that and that’s foolish because this much amount of water 4 to 6 inches can move a car. So people should be really respectful when they put those things up there to keep people back you should stay back," says East.

While the rain is much needed here in Central Texas, it can be concerning to those who live off the riverbank.

"I woke up to a significant rise the water was pretty high and that was about 7 o'clock this morning, so I figure by the time the rest of that water gets here from junction we’re expected to see more to rise," says resident David Broussard.

"If it gets up to where I live, Noah's Arc will be right behind it," says East.

It's possible the Llano River will continue to rise throughout the night.  

Llano County is under a flood warning until 12 a.m.