DFW Airport recorded about 9 inches of rain between Oct. 1 and 15, a record-breaking number the likes of which hasn’t been seen since 1959, when 8.68 inches of rain fell in the same time period.
Meteorologist Bianca Villanueva from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said the heavy rain is due to unsettled weather patterns reaching many areas of Texas. And Dallasites had better buckle up, because the rain is set to continue through the rest of the week.
“We’re still anticipating between another inch or two before Friday,” she said.
Flash floods cause the highest number of weather-related deaths in Texas, according to Val Lopez, a public information officer with the Texas Department of Transportation.
“The most important thing we ask is motorists drive to conditions,” he said.
That means giving yourself plenty of time to get to work, turning your headlights on, leaving lots of space between your car and the car in front of you and turning around when you see high water on the road.
Villanueva said the National Weather Service has already received reports of road closures south of DFW. She said rivers and creeks will steadily rise if the storms continue.
Several drainage basin locations across Dallas also have experienced sanitary sewer overflows of diluted wastewater because of the storms, according to Dallas Water Utilities.
According to the city, there is no current danger to the water supply.
According to data from the United States Drought Monitor, several areas in North Texas have seen drought levels decrease since September.