The Dallas-Fort Worth area was pounded by thunderstorms Sunday night into Monday, dumping copious quantities of rain over the course of 18 hours, flooding houses and streets, and prompting some drivers to leave their cars in high water.
Based on preliminary damage estimates, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared the area to be in a state of disaster, allowing the area to utilize state resources for response. Jenkins has also asked for help from the government.
Additionally, to better assist towns affected by the floods, Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Division of Emergency Management to raise the preparedness level of the state's emergency operations center.
Some places had rainfall that met the criteria for a flood that occurs once in 1,000 years, or 0.1% of the time. As the consequences of climate change worsen, such disasters may occur more frequently in the coming years. According to climate experts, severe precipitation events occur more frequently as temperatures rise.
According to a report from Dallas Water Utilities, 13 to 15 inches of rain fell on the east side of the city in the last 24 hours. The majority of the Dallas–Fort Worth region received 6–10 inches of rain.
Rescue attempts have been sparked by flash floods, which in some cases are thought to be life-threatening. Since Sunday evening around six o'clock, the Dallas Fire Department alone has responded to hundreds of automobile accidents and other water-related incidents. Dallas emergency management authorities are warning locals not to go because of rising water that has covered numerous roads.
For North Texas through Monday night at 8 p.m. and for Central Texas through Monday night at 7 p.m., the National Weather Service has issued flood watches. The heaviest rains are moving towards Central Texas while flooding in North Texas starts to subside. As the storm system moves, additional precipitation of between 2 to 5 inches is expected.
The week is predicted to be filled with thunderstorms. A significant portion of the state had gone weeks without receiving any precipitation just a few days prior, so the difference is startling. For months, a large portion of the state has experienced acute drought. In Balch Springs, a Dallas neighborhood where nine homes were recently burned by a grass fire, WFAA reported that properties are absorbing water.
Climate scientists have discovered that the increase in average temperature brought on by climate change may significantly impact severe precipitation occurrences by intensifying rainfall during storms.
Since 1960, Texas has experienced an increase in rainfall intensity of roughly 7%. According to a 2021 report by the state's climatologist, the danger of severe precipitation events is rising over the whole state, despite the fact that precipitation totals in the Western half of the state have largely been stable or dropping over the previous century.
According to the analysis, Texas might see 30% to 50% more instances of heavy rain by 2036 than it did from 1950 to 1999.
According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, scientists have also discovered that large flooding and heavy rain events are occurring more frequently than in the past during droughts. The Southern Great Plains, which comprise Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, are predicted to continue seeing an increase in both the frequency and severity of heavy precipitation.
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