Google rolls out AI tool to predict flash floods up to 24 hours ahead

AUSTIN (KXAN) – New tools are making flash flood forecasting more accurate.

Last month, Google launched a new Flood Hub designed to help meteorologists and emergency managers better predict flash flood risk up to 24 hours in advance.

Big Sandy Creek at Big Sandy Drive during deadly July 2025 flooding in Central Texas. (Photo courtesy: National Weather Service)

It’s one of several artificial intelligence tools now being developed to improve early warnings and reduce the dangers posed by fast‑moving floods.

Why flash floods remain difficult to predict

For years, flash floods have been a challenge to forecast because they can strike suddenly and far from riverbanks.

“Flash floods can occur anywhere. They are not confined to the river,” said Gila Loike with the Google Research team.

That challenge, Loike said, is what Google’s new system is trying to address.

Flood Hub allows the public and professionals to interact with a new AI model that shows where flash flooding is more likely during the next 24 hours. Unlike traditional river forecasting, the tool focuses on rapid flooding driven by intense rainfall.

Google said it trained the model using millions of real‑world flood reports, including two decades of local news coverage, to........

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