Saturday's severe storms brought significant rainfall and flooding risk to North Texas. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Trinity River in Dallas through Monday morning.
But even as the rain began to ease in the evening, delays at both DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field averaged nearly an hour or more, according to aviation tracking website FlightAware. That's what it means.
More than 550 flights were canceled and nearly 800 delayed at DFW Airport by 7:30 p.m. More than 200 flights were delayed and about 24 canceled at Love Field, according to FlightAware.
Road traffic was also disrupted. MedStar reported shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday that crews responded to more than 40 crashes, more than double the number from the previous Saturday at that point, and nearly 20 people were taken to the hospital. It's unclear how many of those cases were weather-related.
Rain is expected to continue intermittently throughout Saturday night and likely end around midnight, National Weather Service meteorologist Alison Prater said. Rain amounts are expected to be between 1 and 2 inches, but up to 3 inches could fall in some areas.
Flood watches and warnings are in effect for Dallas and Tarrant counties, and the National Weather Service predicts minor flooding on the Trinity River in Dallas into Monday morning.
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, the Trinity stage was 27.3 feet high and the flood stage was 30 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The Trinity River is expected to rise above flood stage Saturday night, crest at 33.5 feet Sunday morning, and drop by Sunday evening, according to a warning on the National Weather Service's website. ing.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned people to be careful while driving.
“Always be aware of road conditions,” Prater said. “If you're driving in heavy rain, slow down a little and don't drive through high water.”
Medstar also urged drivers to drive carefully, suggesting the following:
- Slow down.
- avoid standing water
- Avoid using cruise control.
- Please leave extra distance between vehicles.
Small, localized power outages left more than 14,000 homes in North Texas without power as of 1:30 p.m., according to OnCall's dashboard. Power companies warned that flooding could delay power restoration in some areas.
“Thank you for your understanding as we work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” the company said on its website.
Severe thunderstorms are also expected in central, eastern and southern Texas this weekend, bringing the risk of heavy rain, flooding, hail and wind damage.
On Saturday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Emergency Management Agency to send supplies to areas of the state that have experienced or are expected to experience severe weather. Statement posted on X.
“As severe weather impacts our state, we are deploying critical emergency response resources to communities across Texas to assist local communities,” the post said, urging Texans to monitor the weather forecast. He urged people to heed warnings and guidance from authorities.
Saturday's rain also brought a cold front to North Texas, with a high of 61 degrees, below the typical high of 76 degrees for this time of year, the weather service said. Temperatures are expected to drop to 57 degrees by 5 p.m. Saturday. Sunday temperatures will reach around 64 degrees, with an overnight low of 47 degrees.
The forecast for next week is for Monday and Tuesday to be sunny, with a possible return of thunderstorms by midweek.
