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Flash flooding hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area overnight Monday, prompting rescue efforts as roads flooded and abandoned cars floated in shocking images shared on social media.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth expanded its flash flood warning advisory in and around Dallas County until 10 AM Central Time warning of a continued risk for “life threatening flash floods”. The office he said up to 8 inches of rain had fallen in the hard-hit area, with more rain to come.
The risk of flood damage was “considerable,” he said, warning residents not to drive on flooded roads and to move immediately to higher ground. Flash flood warnings have also been issued for Fort Worth and Canton, Texas.
Prior to today’s heavy rains, the Dallas-Fort Worth area was in the midst of a substantial drought. All of Dallas County has experienced at least one extreme drought for the past three months, according to the US Drought Monitor.
At one point, Dallas had dozens of days above 100 degrees and 67 straight days without any rain, a streak that was finally broken on August 9th. Now, in a shocking reversal, this August is likely to be Dallas’ wettest on record. since 1899, The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore noted on Twitter.
The extremely dry soil, along with the rapid rate of rainfall, combined to cause widespread flooding. Droughts harden topsoils, making them struggle to absorb heavy rainfall.
As flooding hit the Dallas area, parts of North Central and Northeast Texas were under a flood watchis – an alert level that is below flood warnings – until noon central time Monday, including Dallas, Rockwall and Delta counties. The NWS warned of “rainfall totals of 2 to 5 inches, with isolated amounts in excess of 8 inches.”
Local media and reporters shared videos of a water rescue on a flooded road in the Dallas area, with people swimming in murky waters as vehicles are found abandoned on the sides of roads with alarms going off.
Floodwaters have receded in Deep Ellum. Cars, SUVs and a police cruiser are flooded. Many still have alarms going off. One woman says the water was almost chest-high, she had to swim to safety. I’ll have a live update from #Dallas starting at 7:00 ET / 6:00 CT @accuweather 📺 pic.twitter.com/qwVKWJgXyp
— Bill Wadell (@BillWadell) August 22, 2022
The NWS warned of the potential for “life-threatening flash flooding of streams and creeks, urban areas, roads, streets and underpasses” throughout the flood watch area, which includes major cities such as Plano and Fort Worth.
The agency had warned that flooding was possible earlier this week if “heavy rain over dry ground” produced runoff.
Texas cities experienced near-record temperatures and dryness last month, leading to severe precipitation deficits. But heavy rains in parts of the state through Monday may not bring enough relief, the NWS warned.
In its forecast for Monday, the NWS predicted “showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 4pm”. There was a 100 percent chance of precipitation throughout the day, and he said new rain could add up to 1 inch of water, while “some of the storms could produce heavy rain.”
The weather was expected to improve by the end of the week, the agency said, with the highest chance of more storms on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Matthew Cappucci contributed to this report.