Dallas was in for a huge surprise this Monday. Starting Sunday night through much of Monday, a system resided over DFW which produced 10+ inches of rain in some areas. This was not only a record breaker for the most rainfall in a 24 hour period for DFW, but this system also caused lots of issues for travel in Dallas.
Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed on Monday at both DFW and Love Field airport when the storm relentlessly produced multi-inch hourly rain rates. Soon, many major highways including portions of Dallas North Tollway were shut down due to extreme flooding levels over the roadway. At this point, Texas was under a state of emergency and Dallas was on full alert. Over 200 high water rescues were made in Dallas after 100’s lost their homes. While all this may be hard to believe, this makes sense when you consider some of the pieces that were in play on Monday.
Why did Dallas flood? Well the system that dropped over 10-15 inches of rain was produced by a “perfect rainstorm” setup which allowed for a massive amount of rain to develop and essentially stall over a given area, stuck between two fronts. This rain then all fell onto drought stricken soil, which can’t absorb water as fast as moist soil believe it or not. This, plus the fact that the Dallas sanitary water system also overflowed into the streets where no absorption of water could happen, allowed Dallas to experience flash flooding like never before in its history. Many streets and areas were under multiple feet of fast flowing water, just like what you would see after a hurricane makes landfall. This created an almost unreal scene which many in Dallas have never seen in their life before.
Texas Weather Center hopes for a speedy recovery for Dallas and all those who were affected by the flood. Comment below your experience related to the Texas flood this week!
4 Records Broken in DFW in Summer of 2022
1. Most 100 Degree Days in 11 Years — 48 Days
DFW had approximately 48 days of 100+ degrees this summer, which is a record of the decade. The last time this happened was Summer of 2011. DFW most likely experienced this due to a heat dome, an upper level region of high pressure which traps heat on the surface.
2. 2nd Longest Dry Streak In DFW of all Time — 67 Days
DFW went approximately 67 consecutive days with no considerable rainfall above .01 inches of precipitation. This is the second longest streak for DFW of ALL TIME (the last time was in the summer of 2000 where it was 84 consecutive days). DFW most likely experienced this due to a lack of moisture, which is a key ingredient in storm development. Another reason is due to the jet stream position over the US this summer.
3. Tied for 6th on Hottest Day on Record in DFW — 111 Degrees
DFW reached 111 degrees on Monday the 18th of July 2022, the 6th hottest day ever recorded in DFW. The hottest day on record was 113 degrees in 1980.
4. Most Rainfall in a 24 Hour Period Ever — 10+ Inches
Multiple areas in DFW received more than 10 inches of rainfall within 24 hours. The previous record was 9.57 inches in 1932, but this record is no more. DFW most likely experienced this due to a “perfect rainstorm” like system which allowed for a massive amount of rain to develop and essentially stall over a given area, stuck between two fronts that resided over the DFW area that day.
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