Rainfall in North Texas Sunday through Monday broke a record set more than 100 years ago and approached the record for the wettest 24-hour period ever recorded in DFW. The National Weather Service’s official record station at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reported 9.19 inches of rain in the 24 hours that ended at 2 a.m. Monday. This ranked second for the 10 most rainfalls in a 24-hour period in Dallas on record. The largest was 9.57 inches that fell on September 4-5, 1932. By Monday afternoon, the rain had moved away from the area.
MORE RAIN IN ONE 24 HOURS
NEARLY 15 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS IN DALLAS COUNTY
Firefighters across Dallas County were hard at work blocking roadways covered in high water and pulling stranded drivers to safety after nearly 15 inches of rain fell by Monday morning. At about 9 a.m. Dallas police tweeted a list of dozens of locations where there were high water flow calls. Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed to NBC 5 early Monday afternoon that they have responded to approximately 200 calls for assistance in high water since approximately 11:00 p.m. Sunday. In Mesquite, a woman died after she was trapped inside her vehicle when floodwaters swept it off the road and under a bridge, fire officials said. Her death is the first flood-related death confirmed in the North Texas area. Meanwhile, police continue to warn drivers about the closure of several roads due to flooding and are urging motorists to never attempt to drive through high water. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Twitter that based on preliminary damage assessments, he has declared a state of disaster in Dallas County and is requesting state and federal assistance. Dallas County remains under a flood watch until 8 p.m. due to the threat of flooding in urban and poorly drained areas. Heavy rainfall could also cause flooding of creeks, streams and rivers. Excessive runoff can lead to flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and floodplain sites. NBC 5 News Rainfall totals as of 3 p.m. Sunday, August 21, 2022, until noon on Monday, August 22, 2022.
FORT WORTH, ARLINGTON RECORD NEARLY 9 INCHES OF RAIN
Rainfall totals so far in Tarrant County are approaching nine inches as a flash flood warning and flood watch continue Monday afternoon. In Fort Worth, 8.41 inches have been reported while Arlington has recorded 7.72 inches. Area police departments and city officials, including Fort Worth, Arlington and White Settlement, among others, have tweeted about area roads affected by flooding. In all cases, motorists are warned to never drive through high water and turn around, lest they drown. The county remains under a flood watch until 8 p.m. due to the threat of flooding in urban and poorly drained areas. Heavy rainfall could also cause flooding of creeks, streams and rivers. Excessive runoff can lead to flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone areas.
2ND WETEST AUGUST ON RECORD AT DFW
The National Weather Service said rainfall in North Texas through Monday afternoon helped make this August the second wettest on record. The NWS said the wettest August on record was 1915 with a total of 10.33 inches of precipitation. For August 2022, as of 2 p.m., monthly precipitation was 10.03 inches, good for the second wettest on record. The record comes after 67 days without measurable rain and with most of the region in extreme drought. Before this most recent rain event, North Texas was 17 inches below normal for annual precipitation. The US Drought Observatory will update drought conditions on Thursday. Next week, there is only a slight chance of more rain.
HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS DELAYED AFTER HEAVY RAIN
According to FlightAware, as of 12:45 p.m., there are currently nearly 200 delayed flights out of Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. More than 50 flights have been cancelled. Travelers are encouraged to check their flight status before heading to area airports.
