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

"Let's put an end to the conspiracy theories and stop blaming others," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement.

As a succession of thunderstorms fed by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry pummeled Texas' Hill Country, tools used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to detect extreme rainfall began “maxing out the color charts.

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.

Barry dissipated as a tropical depression four days before its remnants helped trigger the deadly Texas flash flood. And it's far from the only example of deadly inland flooding we've seen.

Climate change is making severe storms worse, heightening the need for the development of advanced forecasting models, but severe storm research is on the chopping block.

Weather model data shows the National Weather Service had reason to warn of higher flood risks. Still, meteorologists say the agency made reasonable predictions.

Tornado damages homes in Texas as ice storms kill at least 6 on the roads Record highs were expected on the East Coast as a winter storm crawled across the U.S. February 20, 2018