HOUSTON — While the rain hasn’t caused too much of a problem here in Houston, it’s a different story for the rest of the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott canceled his visit to Spring Tuesday to address the flash flooding in Dallas.
An emergency response briefing is set to start there in a few hours.
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.
Texas flooding top stories
- DFW weather: Heavy rains cause flooding and road closures across North Texas
- Video and photos: Storms bring several inches of rain, flooding to North Texas
- Video: Tornado lands on Winona High School football field, damages homes east of Tyler
- NWS: Confirmed tornado touched down in Winona
- VIDEO: Shoal Creek overflows in Downtown Austin
North Texas flooding by the numbers
With the amount of rain that fell Monday, the Associated Press reported this August ranks as the second wettest on record for North Texas.
Total rainfall for August
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported total rainfall for August as 10.08 inches at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The wettest August was 10.33 inches in 1915.
Dallas rainfall over 24 hours
The NWS stations 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, which fell Sept. 4 and 5 in 1932.
“It will probably put a small dent on the drought, I would imagine, but I don’t think it’s going to get rid of it by any means,” Barnes said.
She said that over the next week, there are only low chances of more rain.
“Unless we continue to see rain, we’ll just probably see drought conditions worsen again,” Barnes said.
Across the area, rainfall amounts ranged from less than 1 inch to over 15 inches, Barnes said. By Monday afternoon, the rain moved out of the area, she said.
Flooding in Balch Springs
In Balch Springs, officials on Monday rescued people from flooded homes. Fire Chief Eric Neal said they rescued four people from one flooded home and one person from another.
“We had to get to them by boat and pull them to safety,” Neal said. He added that others chose to stay in their flooded homes.
“As the rain stopped, the water started to recede pretty quick,” Neal said.
Uber driver killed in Mesquite flash flood
A woman was killed in Mesquite when flash flooding swept her car off the Scyene Road bridge on Monday. Firefighters retrieved her body after the high creek water subsided later in the afternoon.
The woman's friends said she was working as an Uber driver and was on her way home, after dropping off a customer.
She was on the phone with her husband as her car began to flood. They said she told him the water was up to her ankles, then up to her knees… and that it felt like someone was pushing her car. Then, the line went dead.
Her family rushed out to the scene to search for her not long after but it wasn't until the water went down that the tire of her car became visible. Friends said, her husband was the first to spot it and immediately knew it was his wife's car.
Just downstream from where the woman was found, several other cars were also swept off the road.
Tornado touches down in Winona, NWS confirms
The National Weather Service confirms some buildings, including homes in Winona were destroyed, due to a tornado hitting the area.
“I could see all this flying. I mean it happened quick," Shelly Brumley, a survivor, said. "The current so strong going across my house it'll wash you away."
“With the alert that there was a storm in the area. Then a few minutes later, a tornado, and then boom,” Winona Mayor Rachel Moreno said.
Shoal Creek overflows in Downtown Austin
According to KHOU 11's sister station in Austin, KVUE, heavy rainfall on Monday evening caused Shoal Creek to overflow over the hike-and-bike trail and into the Colorado River in Downtown Austin.
Sensors at the location indicate Shoal Creek at West 12th Street spiked to over 16 feet in its major flood stage, at 16.37 feet. This ranks as the fourth highest gauge height on record at the site. The record is 23.11 feet in 1981.
