Threat of golf ball size hail, more rain, flooding in forecast for Dallas-Fort Worth
As if torrential rains were not enough in North Texas, there’s a chance for severe weather that could produce large hail, lightning and gusty winds.
Strong storms were in the forecast beginning on Monday night and continuing into Tuesday.
In the middle of all that, a flash flood watch continues until Wednesday morning for all of North Texas.
“The storms could have golf-ball size hail and winds from 60 to 70 mph,” said meteorologist Patricia Sanchez at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth on Monday. “There could be a higher coverage of these storms instead of isolated storms.”
A survey team from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth confirmed that two tornadoes struck Dallas on Sunday, causing damage in areas that were hit by another tornado in 2019. An EF-0 tornado with 75 mph winds touched down near University Park and an EF-1 with 90 mph winds touched down near Northaven Road west of U.S. 75.
Damage was reported in north Dallas on Sunday afternoon, including the roof being ripped off a home on Northaven Road.
Meteorologists say more severe storms would develop in counties to the northwest of Fort Worth and move into Tarrant County late Monday night.
And there will not be breaks in the rainy weather on Tuesday.
A line of thunderstorms containing strong winds and maybe some hail will move across Tarrant County on Tuesday afternoon. There’s a 100 percent chance of rain on Tuesday.
Showers and thunderstorms will stay in the forecast for at least another week.
Flash flooding risk
The flood watch is in effect until Wednesday morning because rainfall totals of three to six inches are expected in North Texas. Some neighborhoods could get eight inches of rain.
On Sunday in some parts of Dallas County, storms dumped as much as five inches of rain. Dallas Fire Rescue responded to 57 high water calls on Sunday.
Flooding may occur on streets in urban and poor drainage areas. Heavy rainfall could also cause flooding in creeks, streams and rivers.
Flash flooding can quickly become dangerous, the weather service said, and residents are advised to monitor the latest forecasts and not drive on roads that are covered in water. Over half of all flooding deaths each year happen in vehicles, according to the weather service.
Thunderstorm chances will continue through the weekend. Additional rounds of heavy rainfall may cause further flooding issues and significant rises on area rivers.
The widespread rainfall in North Texas should help drought conditions in some counties near the Red River and a few other counties just south of Tarrant County, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Before the storms arrived, a few counties near Tarrant County were listed as abnormally dry or in moderate drought conditions.
Extreme or exceptional drought conditions existed in the Big Bend area of Texas, some counties in the South Plains and in a few South Texas counties, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
May is one of the wettest months in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. In May 2020, storms dropped 7.54 inches of rain and 8.15 inches of rain fell in May 2019. Rainfall totals this week alone could reach the amount in an average month.
This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 9:49 AM.
