The San Antonio Fire Department has put numbers to what a lot of locals already suspected, releasing a ranking of the city’s 10 most dangerous low-water crossings where drivers keep getting stuck when creeks jump their banks. Old Seguin Road at Salado Creek landed at the top of the list, the crossing that has sent more crews on high-water rescues than any other spot over the past decade.
According to San Antonio Report, the list pulls from high-water rescue runs between 2015 and 2025. Old Seguin Road at Salado Creek accounted for 46 rescues, Old O’Connor Road north of Lookout had 31, and Hollyhock Road west of Babcock had 20. At the same time, the National Weather Service is calling for an active stretch of storms this week that could bring the kind of heavy rainfall that turns those trouble spots into traps.
Where the Risk Clusters
Most of the crossings on the list sit north of U.S. Highway 90, and several are clustered along Salado Creek, where flood activity has been concentrated, San Antonio Express-News reports. Fire officials say that pattern tracks with how local drainage systems and low-lying roads channel stormwater straight into these crossings when the rain really starts to dump.
Reminder of Last June's Deadly Flood
Last June, fast-moving floodwaters swept vehicles off a Loop 410 access road near Perrin Beitel, killing 13 people in a single morning and contributing to the city's 15 flood-related deaths in 2025, city officials said in a recovery update. That disaster drove home how quickly a familiar shortcut can turn into a death trap and why city leaders are pressing for better flood detection and more aggressive, preemptive road closures.
How the NextGen System Could Help
Bexar County and the San Antonio River Authority have been working on a roughly $20 million NextGen flood-warning system designed to spot rising water sooner and alert drivers before roads become impassable, the River Authority says. County leaders committed funding last year and hope the system will beef up gauge networks and push real-time alerts into navigation apps and road-closure systems, KSAT reports.
Turn Around, Don't Drown
Despite the technology push, officials keep falling back on one simple rule for drivers: if you see water over the road, turn around. The National Weather Service's Turn Around, Don't Drown guidance notes that six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person off their feet, 12 inches can carry away most cars, and two feet of rushing water can sweep away SUVs and trucks, which is why those barricades and closures are treated as lifesaving tools, the National Weather Service explains.
Residents can keep tabs on flooded crossings and roadway closures through the city's flood page and can sign up for emergency notifications via the city's alert system. For the department's full top-10 list and additional background, see City of San Antonio Floods and San Antonio Report.
