Pictures of people being rescued from their cars and police cars driving down the streets of Dallas, Texas overnight prompted authorities to issue a flood warning for more than 14 million people on Sunday.
Over the weekend, flash floods were caused by heavy rain across the Southwest, and more rain is expected through Monday. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, warned Texans to exercise caution on Saturday.
Dramatic footage that was uploaded overnight shows Dallas firefighters using ropes to free people from their trapped cars on the I-30 highway. One of the first responders was also seen swimming to rescue a man who was in deep water.
Before being rescued, the man can be seen straining to keep his head above the murky water in the drone footage.
A woman can be seen holding onto the rear of a car that appears to be half floating in the meantime. In the footage uploaded by YouTube channel WXChasing, another automobile is fully submerged.
More people were seen trapped in their vehicles or wading through the heavy floodwaters in the middle of city streets in other video from the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Cruisers, some of which seemed to be police cars, could be seen entirely submerged in flood waters and drifting down the street in pictures taken from outside a Dallas Police Department facility in Downtown Dallas.
A additional four to eight inches of rain are expected on Monday across a region that includes the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Shreveport, Louisiana. Approximately three to five inches of rain fell across the Texas-Oklahoma border on Sunday.
Forecasts indicated that some places could even receive more rain than eight inches, which would result in heavy runoff and perhaps flash flooding.
According to CNN, as a result, more than 14 million people were under flood watch on Sunday.
‘We don’t know which regions will receive the 8+ inches of heavy rainfall, but if it does occur near you, substantial flash floods will happen,’ the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth/Dallas warned.
The weather office added that everyone in the watch area should allow more time for travel, especially on Monday morning.
The Mississippi Valley is forecast to experience severe rain that is already affecting Northern Texas, according to the NWS.
Due to the ongoing drought, rain will be welcomed in many areas; nonetheless, flash floods could occur in metropolitan areas and other locations with poor drainage.
Drought-induced dry land makes flooding worse by increasing runoff in locations where water would normally soak into the soil.
More than 90% of Texas is currently experiencing some type of drought condition, and about 62% of the state is currently experiencing “severe” or “exceptional” drought conditions.
Governor Abbott urged people to be alert of the hazardous weather conditions and to pay attention to local authorities while speaking on a video chat with more than 350 local emergency response personnel on Saturday.
“As storms bringing rain and flood worries advance through our state, I ask Texans to remain aware about changing weather conditions, take the active weather risks seriously, and heed the direction of local officials,” he added.
“The State of Texas is using all available resources to support local community efforts to protect life and property, and it’s critical that communities throughout the state take proactive steps to keep all Texans safe,” the state said.
Another storm system from the Ohio Valley is predicted to bring severe weather to the East Coast the following week, possibly flooding some areas of the Northeast with a lot of rain after a dry summer.
The area is currently facing a severe drought, much like other parts of the United States, including California, the southwest, and Texas.
Extreme drought primarily affected Rhode Island, central Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut over the past 60 days. Southeast New England, southeast New York, and northern New Jersey all experienced rainfall two to five inches below average.
Craig Herrera, a meteorologist with FOX Weather, predicted that rain will fall. “Some of these locations need it,” he added. “Out here, there have been some drought-like circumstances.” Given that some of these places may get rather heavy rain in a brief period of time, we could keep an eye out for the chance of flash floods for some of you.
From Monday morning to Tuesday morning, majority of eastern Pennsylvania—including Scranton, Allentown, and Philadelphia—is likely to get flash flood warnings.
It will also target parts of southern New England, including Boston, Hartford, and Providence, as well as southeast New York state, including Utica, Binghamton, Albany, and Kingston. However, rainfall in these areas is predicted to last up to three days.
According to Fox Weather, New York City is another location where flash flood dangers are anticipated to exist throughout the first two days of the new week.
Some of the rainfall totals, particularly in the higher elevations, appear to be quite significant. We might get a small boost, Herrera continued.
“We might have some amounts closer to two or three inches over into areas of northern Pennsylvania, into portions of New Jersey, New York, as well as right into Massachusetts where we need it as well,” said the forecaster.
In New England and Pennsylvania, only one to two inches of rain are predicted to fall.
Up to two inches of rain may fall in New York City, Hartford, and New London, Connecticut, by Wednesday.
Since states like Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine all had below-average levels of precipitation during the summer, it should put a stop to the “flash drought” that has been affecting the Northeast for much of this summer.
With only little more than three inches of rain falling cumulatively since June 1, Boston reported receiving over six inches of rain, which is below typical.
Newark, New Jersey, where precipitation levels are over eight inches below average, is another location with minimal rainfall.
Residents in some northeastern states were urged to utilize water wisely because the area’s heat was so alarming.
In an effort to extend the drought, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont advised residents to use less water in the middle of July.
The Ohio Valley and the Appalachians are predicted to experience severe thunderstorms and high winds on Sunday evening.
Before the storm’s anticipated arrival in the Northeast a day later, it will go south into the Mississippi Valley.
Through the majority of Sunday, residents of several areas, including Erie, Pennsylvania; Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; and maybe tornadoes, will see heavy rain.
If further severe weather develops, several Ohio Valley regions could receive one to two inches of rain.