Flooding hits Dallas-Fort Worth as some areas receive more than 13 inches of rain

 Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a state of disaster in the region, and Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state’s emergency operations center to be ready to support communities impacted by the flooding.

A car drives through high water on South Second Avenue in Dallas on Monday. The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been hit with massive rainfall and flash flooding since Sunday night. Credit:

Thunderstorms hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area Sunday night into Monday and dropped massive amounts of rain in the span of 18 hours, inundating streets, flooding homes and forcing some drivers to abandon their vehicles in high water.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has declared a state of disaster in the region based on preliminary damage assessments, allowing the area to use available state resources to respond. Jenkins has also requested federal assistance.

Gov. Greg Abbott also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to increase the readiness level of the state’s emergency operations center to support communities impacted by the flooding.

Texas could experience 30% to 50% more events of extreme rain by 2036 compared to 1950-1999, the report found.