A flood warning has been issued for parts of Dallas County after heavy rain, hail and high winds pummeled North Texas overnight.
The warning is in effect through Tuesday afternoon for areas near White Rock Creek and Greenville Avenue in northeast Dallas, according to the National Weather Service.
People are urged to avoid flooded areas and should not drive through high water, the weather service said.
Severe thunderstorms pushed through North Texas on Monday night, spurring possible tornadoes, pounding rain and hail. Most of North Texas was under a tornado watch until 2 a.m. Tuesday.
In Dallas County, widespread rainfall totaled about an inch, according to the weather service; the highest rainfall amount, 3 inches, was reported along the Dallas and Collin counties border.
Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to more than 20 high water incidents and five water rescues between 10 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday, spokesman Jason Evans said. Crews were also called to four reports of downed utility wires or transformers, Evans said.
Flash floods in McKinney forced three water rescues Monday evening, the McKinney Fire Department said on Twitter. Four people were brought to safety after their cars were swept away, and all are in good condition, the fire department tweeted.
The department tweeted pictures of stunned-looking people on yellow life rafts flanked by first responders.
Possible tornadoes and storm damage were observed in Collin County near Celina and Blue Ridge; Johnson County near Joshua; Ellis County near Midlothian; Kaufman County near Kemp; and in southwest Van Zandt County.
Crews from the weather service will be surveying the damage Tuesday to confirm whether twisters touched down.
A possible tornado over Johnson County was picked up by weather service radars about 11 p.m. Monday night. The likely-twister touched down near Alvarado and continued east toward downtown Midlothian in Ellis County, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported.
Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jamie Moore said about half a dozen homes sustained damage in the storm. Some roads were also closed Tuesday morning because of fallen trees, he said.
Brittaney Deaton, 17, was staying in a recreational vehicle parked outside her parents’ home in Burleson, about 5 miles from Joshua, when she said she felt the RV rocking. She tried to flee the vehicle with the help of her father, Shawn Zeleny, but the high winds rolled the large RV over them.
“All I felt was something big roll on top on me,” Deaton said early Tuesday. “… It felt kind of like if you were stuck between two walls.”
Zeleny, 43, had several injuries and was taken to a hospital. Deaton was uninjured.
Moore said Zeleny was the only person reported to be injured.
Debris blew overhead of firefighters as they battled a fire at a wood pallet facility in Alvarado. Crews were forced to shelter from the storm as it passed, but no one was hurt and crews returned to battling the blaze after it cleared.
“We look up and it’s coming right over the top of us,” Alvarado Fire Captain Brad Hargrove told the TV station. “… The debris field was hitting our apparatus, and I made the command to make sure all of our staff retreated into their apparatus and we rode it out on the scene.”
“It was the most eventful command that I ever rode out in 24 years,” he added.
Authorities said the fire ignited about 10:30 p.m. after the facility was struck by lightening, according to NBC5. The fire could burn for at least three to four days, Hargrove said.
Photos and videos of the storm from across the region showed high waters carrying debris and garbage cans down suburban streets. Footage from outside a Love’s Travel Stop in Midlothian captured an overturned 18-wheeler.
The weather service received reports of tree damage to cars and homes and downed power lines.
Outages were reported across Dallas-Fort Worth early Tuesday. About 239 people were without power in Dallas County about 7:20 a.m., according to Oncor’s outage map. Collin County had more than 1,000 reported outages. To the southeast, in Smith County, more than 14,200 Oncor customers were without power early Tuesday.
Temperatures Tuesday were expected to be in the upper 80s and low 90s — about 10 to 15 degrees above normal for early April, the weather service said.
The heat and low humidity poses an elevated fire danger for areas south of Interstate 20 and west of Interstate 35, according to the weather service. Avoid outdoor activities that may spark a flame.
Staff photographer Elias Valverde II contributed to this report.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism