The heavy rain that turned a river in Texas into a raging wall of water was fueled by unique atmospheric conditions, according to meteorologists and climate scientists.

Flash floods in Texas have killed nearly 90 people, many of them children. Heavy rains fell quickly in the predawn hours Friday in the Texas Hill Country, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through rugged valleys. That geography also makes it one of the deadliest places in the U.S. for flash flooding.