NWS says Flash Flood Warnings were issued on July 3 and early July 4 in Central Texas, giving more than three hours of warning.

"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.

The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early-morning flash floods along the Guadalupe River

Local officials warned the number of dead will likely rise and were due to give an update on Sunday morning, as search and rescue teams raced to find 27 girls missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River,

Search efforts continue for a fourth day with more than 80 people confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas.