Emergency crews across the region had responded to hundreds of water-related emergencies by midday, though no deaths were immediately reported. But flooding still wreaked havoc on the commute for thousands Monday morning, including students across North Texas who had just started school. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will gradually shift south today as well as the highest flood threat. Additional accumulations will be higher across Central Texas, with additional flooding issues expected. Be safe and NEVER drive through flooded roads! #dfwwx #ctxwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/GYWM03R4s1 — NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) August 22, 2022 8 inches of rain is forecast for parts of Dallas. In some areas, rainfall far exceeded these expectations. A reading near South Dallas and Pleasant Grove recorded more than 14 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, according to the Dallas Water Utility. Neighborhoods closer to downtown Dallas recorded more than 10 inches of rain. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Dallas County until 4 p.m. Monday. An earlier flood warning for Dallas County ended at 1 p.m. A flood watch remains in effect until 8 p.m. for areas of North Texas. At least four people have been taken to hospitals due to the weather, according to the Dallas Fire Department. There are 50 traffic signals either without power or not working properly, the city’s Department of Transportation said. As of 3:55 p.m., Oncor reported 638 outages affecting more than 21,300 customers due to heavy rain, lightning and winds from the storms, according to Oncor spokeswoman Connie Piloto. “These weather effects can also cause vehicle accidents and trees or debris to contact our power lines or equipment,” Piloto said in an email. Piloto said the flooding could cause delays in recovery times for those facing outages. It is unclear when power will be restored. About 20 roads and bridges have been closed due to high water as of 11:30 a.m., including the Sylvan Avenue Bridge over the Trinity River, Dallas Office of Emergency Management Director Rocky Vaz said. Police are stationed around at least 22 other affected locations awaiting roadblocks from public works crews, Vaz said. “I think we’ve seen the worst at this point,” Vaz said. “We don’t expect to see that much rain in the next few days. Hopefully it all runs out before the end of the day and we’ll see what happens in the next couple of rounds of rain.” Dallas police have responded to nearly 470 traffic and water-related calls since 6 p.m. Sunday, including 147 calls reporting people stuck in water. Just over 100 calls have been made relating to motorway accidents. According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, crews have responded to 195 high water incidents and 39 water rescue calls between 6 p.m. Sunday and approximately 1:30 p.m. of Monday. Crews have used boats to reach some stranded drivers. “If you’re going down a boulevard and you see water pooling, just turn around,” said Jason Evans, a spokesman for Dallas Fire Rescue. Areas around the Trinity River will remain under a flood warning until Tuesday morning, according to the weather service. By early Monday, the river had reached 18 feet in Dallas, a rapid rise from 12 feet on Sunday. The river is forecast to crest at 34.3 feet by Monday afternoon, beyond the 30-foot flood stage that indicates minor flooding. Flooding on Chestnut Street in Deep Ellum submerged at least eight cars. Nearby, several lanes of Interstate 30 were closed due to high water, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. In Mesquite, several abandoned cars were seen in deep water near Scyene Road and Interstate 635. Rawlins Gilliland woke up early Monday morning to an unusual noise in his southeast Dallas home. It looked like his new puppy, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, was splashing in the water. Distraught, Gilliland, a retired poet and writer, entered his office to find it partially underwater. “It’s like a wading pool,” Gilliland said. He spent the day collecting water. He added: “This summer has been monstrous. It’s just been a bad summer. And now this.” Karen Cox watched nervously as floodwaters rose around her townhouse near busy West 7th Avenue in Fort Worth. Outside her front door, water covered the front steps. Cars parked on the street used to drive by, including her daughter’s. “We had cars on the sidewalk, cars floating,” Cox said. “All the cars created a bit of a wake.” The Fort Worth Police Department said they responded to more than 50 water-related emergency calls from 8 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. None of the calls involved injuries or loss of life, the police department said Monday morning. Heavy rains also caused delays at local airports. Hundreds of inbound and outbound flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field were delayed or canceled due to the storms. The Dallas Zoo was closed Monday afternoon. In a tweet, the zoo said all its animals were safe, but some corridors were flooded. Despite some bus delays, most classes at North Texas schools continued as scheduled. Dallas ISD officials warned parents that some buses may be late picking up students. Mesquite ISD has stopped all buses and will not resume service until “road conditions improve.” The rain won’t stop anytime soon, according to forecasters. Rain is expected in Dallas throughout the week, but the chances of rain decrease as the days go by. To make matters even more complicated, a “major communications outage” disrupted the ability of the local National Weather Service office to disseminate data. “The good news is that NWS forecasters are still receiving all radar data to make warning decisions,” the weather service said in a tweet. “We are able to communicate and relay all warnings and product information through our backup offices.” Heavy rain continues across parts of Dallas County tonight. Be careful when driving, especially in low or poor drainage areas, and NEVER attempt to drive through flooded roadways! #TurnAroundDontDrown https://t.co/VxfmHd02ky — NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) August 22, 2022 Here’s the forecast for the rest of the week in Dallas: Monday: Showers and thunderstorms, some of which can bring heavy rain, before 4 p.m. Rainfall between three-quarters and one inch is possible. Is the high temperature 82? the low is 72. Tuesday: A chance of showers, with a chance of a thunderstorm after 10am. Chance of rain is 50%. Is the high temperature 85? the low is 72. Wednesday: A slight chance of rain before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am. and 1 p.m. Chance of rain is 20%. Is the high temperature 87? the low is 72. Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms possible after 1:00 PM Chance of rain is 20%. Is the high temperature 89? the low is 73. Friday: Showers likely after 1pm High is 92? the low is 74. Staff writer Isabella Volmert contributed to this report.
