• The Dallas area experienced its second-most rainfall over a 24-hour period this week.
  • At least one woman was killed when her car was swept away by flood waters, officials said. 
  • Dramatic photos show the toll of the storm, which comes as parts of Texas experienced drought.

An onslaught of rain in drought-stricken Dallas this week sent water flooding through people's homes and left cars submerged in underwater streets.

The National Weather Service in neighboring Fort Worth said on Tuesday afternoon that "significant rain" over the previous 24 hours — 9.19 inches — made for the area's second-wettest 24-hour period on record. It later warned of "dangerous" flash flooding and urged people to stay home.

 

At least one woman died when her car was swept away by flood waters, said Dallas County official Clay Jenkins, who declared a state of disaster and requested state and federal assistance.  

Fort Worth Fire Department said it made 174 high water investigations or rescues and reported 500 service calls during the storm, calling it "a day we won't soon forget." 

The Transportation Security Administration said heavy rainfall was also impacting travel at local airports. 

Dramatic photos from the Dallas-Forth Worth area show flooding across major roads, leaving cars stranded and submerged, and even forcing drivers to abandon them.

A car sits in flood waters covering a closed highway in Dallas, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Foto: AP Photo/LM Otero

Cars that stalled in high water sit in receding flood waters in Dallas, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Foto: AP Photo/LM Otero

Semi-truck driver Steven Virgil walks into flood waters covering a closed highway to check the depth before trying to drive his truck through in Dallas, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Foto: AP Photo/LM Otero

The Dallas Police Department shared photos to Twitter that showed waterlogged roads and, in some cases, what appeared to be car accidents as a result of the flooding. 

 

Some photos even show water rushing through homes as people try to protect their belongings. 

A view shows flood water in the kitchen of an apartment, in Dallas, Texas, U.S. August 22, 2022. Foto: Brittany Kay Taylor/via REUTERS

A woman picks up boxes in a flooded apartment in Dallas, Texas, U.S. August 22, 2022, in this picture taken from a social media video. Foto: Brittany Kay Taylor/via REUTERS

According to CNN, the heavy rainfall comes as the Dallas area experienced a "flash drought" due to a very dry year across the state. 

"We've been in drought conditions, so the ground soaked up a lot of it but when you get that much rain over that short a period of time, it's certainly going to cause flooding, and that's what we saw, definitely in the urban areas here," National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Huckaby told the Associated Press. 

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