Heavy rains across the drought-stricken Dallas-Fort Worth area on Monday caused streets to flood, submerging vehicles as officials warned motorists to stay off the roads and water seeped into some homes and businesses.
Rainfall in North Texas from Sunday to Monday toppled a record set more than 100 years ago and came close to the record for the rainiest 24 hours ever recorded in DFW.
The official National Weather Service record station at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reported 9.19 inches of rain in the 24 hours ending at 2 p.m. Monday. That ranked second for the top 10 most rain over 24 hours in Dallas on record. The most was 9.57 inches that fell Sept. 4-5, 1932.
By Monday afternoon, the rain had moved out of the area.
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MOST RAINFALL IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD
- Sept. 4-5, 1932, 9.57 inches
- Aug. 21-22, 2022, 9.19 inches
- April 24-25, 1922, 8.81 inches
- Sept. 21-22, 2018, 8.11 inches
NORTH TEXAS FLOODING
NEARLY 15 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS IN DALLAS COUNTY
Firefighters across Dallas County were hard at work blocking off impassable roads covered with high water and pulling stranded drivers to safety after nearly 15 inches of rain poured down through Monday morning.
At about 9 a.m. Dallas police tweeted a list of dozens of locations where there were high water calls. Dallas Fire-Rescue said Monday evening that they have responded to 225 calls for help in high water since 6 p.m. Sunday.
In Mesquite, one woman died after she was trapped inside her vehicle when it was swept by floodwaters off the road and underneath a bridge, firefighters said. Her death is the first flood-related fatality confirmed in the North Texas area.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Twitter that based on preliminary damage assessments, he was declaring a state of disaster in Dallas County and requesting state and federal assistance.
Meanwhile, police continue to warn drivers about numerous road closures due to flooding and urge drivers to never attempt to drive through high water.
FORT WORTH, ARLINGTON RECORD NEARLY 9 INCHES OF RAIN
In Fort Worth, 8.41 inches have been reported while 7.72 inches have been recorded in Arlington.
Area police departments and city officials, including Fort Worth, Arlington and White Settlement, among others, have been tweeting about area roads impacted by flooding. In all cases, drivers are warned to never drive through high water and to turn around, don't drown.
NORTH TEXAS FLOODING
WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD IN DFW
The National Weather Service said Tuesday the rainfall in North Texas so far this week has helped this August become the wettest on record.
The NWS said the previous record for the wettest August was in 1915 with total rainfall of 10.33 inches. That record was surpassed Tuesday with scattered rainfall still ongoing throughout the area, the weather service said.
The record comes after 67 days without measurable rain and with most of the area under exceptional drought. Prior to this most recent rain event, North Texas was 17 inches below normal for annual rainfall.
The U.S. Drought Monitor will update the drought conditions on Thursday. Over the next week, there are only low chances of more rain.
CONTINUING WEATHER COVERAGE
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HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED AFTER HEAVY RAIN
According to FlightAware, as of 7:30 p.m., there were nearly 200 flights delayed out of Dallas Love Field and more than 1,000 out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Monday. DFW Airport saw 300 cancellations Monday while Love Field had 78 cancellations, FlightAware reported.
Travelers are encouraged to check their flight status before heading to area airports.
