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Weather blog: Storms trigger flash flooding 
08:25 AM CDT on Friday, June 12, 2009
There was flash flooding across Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday as strong thunderstorms continued to pound the area. The National Weather Service reports as much as six inches of rain had fallen on Dallas County as of daybreak, with more rain in the offing.
"We currently have 245,000 outages for the D/FW area," said Oncor Electric Delivery spokeswoman Jeamy Molina at noon. "The continued rain, flooding and specifically the lightning are hampering our restoration efforts right now. They are widespread throughout the D/FW area."
Electric linemen are being brought in from Oklahoma and Houston to help restore power to customers left in the dark by the storms.
The National Weather Service said wind bursts were to blame for causing widespread power outages and downed trees in Lewisville and Flower Mound.
Heavy winds of 70 mph were tough on commuters, especially as many traffic lights were not working.
Storms developing north and northwest of Fort Worth were moving, one after another, through Dallas and its suburbs and on to the east and southeast.
Storms left scattered damage, especially in the northern suburbs of Dallas where some chimneys were toppled and shingles were stripped from roofs.
Vivid lightning was suspected in at least one fire that destroyed a large, two-story house in the town of Heath on Lake Ray Hubbard, 17 miles northeast of Dallas.
A high-tension line was down across Interstate 20 near the Hampton Road exit Thursday morning, forcing traffic diversions in both directions.
DART train services were severely delayed because of power outages. Spokesman Mark Ball says the delays affected all lines. In addition, numerous gates were blown down across tracks.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was under a weather warning for lightning, spokesman David Magana said, so ramps have been closed and ground workers are taking shelter.
Anyone who has a flight today, or is meeting someone should check with the airlines for delays or to make sure a flight is still scheduled, Magana said. “It’s going to be one of those days.”
American Airlines said many departures have already been canceled this morning because of weather. Company spokesman Tim Wagner expects a similar number of arrivals to be affected. The airline was also trying to deal with flights that had been rerouted due to last night's storms.
"It's going to be a bad day," he said.
Southwest Airlines reported only modest problems at Dallas Love Field. “We’ve had some ‘ground stops’ – when the FAA stops inbound flights, mostly from Houston,” spokesman Brad Hawkins said. “We had two diversions this morning, and that’s it.”
Southwest’s in-house meteorologists expect a break in the weather by midday, Hawkins said, which should resolve any delays. - Associated Press, Dallas Morning News and WFAA/TV staff reports.
SHELTERS
•The Red Cross has opened shelters for those affected by storms. They are located at:
•Joyner Zaragoza Recreation Center, 3114 Clymer 75212
•Bachman Rec Center, 2750 Bachman Drive 75220
•Grauwyler Rec Center, 7780 Harry Hines Blvd
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
10:50p An airport weather warning has been issued for D/FW until 1 a.m. Numerous lightning strikes are expected as severe thunderstorms move across North Texas. In addition, penny-sized hail will be possible until 1 a.m. - National Weather Service
10:50p An airport weather warning has been issued for D/FW until 1 a.m. Numerous lightning strikes are expected as severe thunderstorms move across North Texas. In addition, penny-sized hail will be possible until 1 a.m. - National Weather Service
10:05p Several people were reported to be injured after a roof blew off an 80-foot barn. The roof flew into a bedroom of a nearby home. Debris, including sheet rock and insulation, landed onto a man holding his four-week-old granddaughter on a bed in the bedroom. Both were checked out and were okay. - WFAA-TV Craig Civale in Anna
10:02p Rescuers were able to grab a young girl and boat her to safety after she became stranded in the rushing waters of Duck Creek in Garland. - Associated Press
9:10 At the Ballpark in Arlington, the rain was so heavy that the centerfield fence wasn't visible from the press box and the Texas Rangers' game with the Toronto Blue Jays was in rain delay. - Associated Press
9:05p Lightning is suspected to be the cause of a fire at the Chatham Apartments in Arlington. The fire went to two alarm and flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the building on Thomason Lane. - WFAA-TV Darla Miles in Arlington
8:50p Wfaa.com user "jlp09" snapped a picture of a large overturned grain silo just north of Main Street by the soccer stadium in Frisco. - WFAA.com
8:48p Along Eldorado in Frisco there is minor damage, including small trees, fences and street signs blown down. Power outages can be seen throughout the area. - WFAA.com Doug Boehner
8:23p A large portable highway sign is tipped over and smashed at Park and the toll road. - WFAA.com Doug Boehner
8:22p In North Dallas around Frankford and the toll road up to George Bush, all the neighborhoods are dark. North of George Bush, lights are on. - WFAA.com Doug Boehner
8:10p A chimney was spotted snapped off at the Villas at Waterchase Apartments in the 1100 block of Old Orchard in Flower Mound. Part of the roof of building 19 was ripped off. Residents evacuated into the inner stairwells. - WFAA-TV Jason Whitely
7:51p In Dallas County, the storm has weakened. As it slides off to the east, it will still have the potential of damaging winds. - WFAA-TV Meteorologist Pete Delkus
7:46p A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Fannin and Hunt counties until 8:45 p.m. - WFAA.com
7:45p A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Kaufman and extreme southern Rockwall counties until 8:15 p.m. - WFAA.com
7:40p Snapped utility poles were spotted in Flower Mound. - WFAA-TV Jason Whitely
7:33p A UPS truck was spotted overturned on 121 north of D/FW Airport in Grapevine. The driver was okay and said the truck overturned while he was pulled over on the shoulder. Strong winds also toppled a semi and trailer. - WFAA-TV's Jason Whitely
7:21p The latest rotation has been spotted near Central Expressway in Allen. - WFAA-TV Meteorologist Pete Delkus
7:15p A funnel cloud has been spotted in Collin County, near Plano. - WFAA-TV Meteorologist Pete Delkus
7:06p A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and eastern Tarrant County until 8 p.m. At 6:58 p.m., the National Weather Service detected a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing golf ball size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. - National Weather Service
7:04p Sirens have been heard at the Galleria Dallas. - WFAA.com Doug Boehner
6:56p Power flashes have been reported in Flower Mound, which is where a rotation has been detected. People should seek shelter. There have been no confirmed reports of a fully formed tornado in Flower Mound. - WFAA-TV Meteorologist Pete Delkus
6:53p While the sirens were briefly off, they are now sounding off again as rain falls heavily in Fort Worth. - WFAA-TV Chris Hawes in Fort Worth
6:50p The National Weather Service reported a developing tornado was detected six miles northwest of Comanche moving east at 35 mph. The tornado will be near Comanche by 6:55 p.m. and Gustine by 7:15 p.m., NWS reported. - WFAA.com
6:48p A tornado formation was spotted on the ground in Flower Mound, but it quickly broke apart. - HD Chopper 8's Troy Bush
6:45p Tornado warning have been issued for Collin, northern Dallas, southeastern Denton, Rockwall and northeastern Tarrant counties until 7:45 p.m. - WFAA.com
6:40p Sirens could be heard in the Fort Worth area. - WFAA-TV Chris Hawes in Fort Worth
6:20p Tornado warning have been issued for Tarrant, Parker, Denton and Wise counties until 6:45 pm. - WFAA.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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