WFAA-TV

Fifteen people had to be evacuated from A DART bus at Northwest Highway and Lawther in Dallas.

10:25p The man and woman who were pulled off a stuck Dodge SUV in flooded waters shortly before 10 p.m. are in the back of a Garland ambulance right now.

Paramedics are mainly concerned about their body temperature since they sat on top of the SUV from two to two-and-a-half hours.

"They went around the barrier," said Merrill Balanciere, Garland Fire Department. "You tell people, if you can't see down the road, don't drive on it. In this case, they went around the barrier. We had to actually wait because we have a rescue team out in Mesquite right now. So, we've been all over the city."
- WFAA-TV's Jason Whitely in Lancaster

10:07p More than 500 flights were canceled Tuesday, which led to more than a simple inconvenience for many at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Despite the bad weather, many came to D/FW crossing their fingers. Most were disappointed, including Paige Ruppert and her mother, who both were hoping to get back home. The Rupperts waited in line only to discover they wouldn't be making it home until Wednesday night.

"This is not a D/FW storm; this is literally a national storm," said Ken Capps, a D/FW spokesperson.

In one case, a woman said she spoke to a fellow passenger. She said he had to miss his son's funeral due to the cancellations.
- WFAA-TV's Bob Greene at D/FW Airport

10:06p Crews are spreading out the length of a creek near McWhorter Park, which is where the search continues for a 14-year-old who slipped into the water.

WFAA-TV

Witnesses said the teen was last seen as he was swept under a bridge.

It's been eight hours since the teen disappeared while playing in the area with a friend.

"They just looked like they were having a good time," said Leah Peters, a witness, of the two teens before the accident occurred. "I didn't think they needed to be down there with the water like that, so I called 911."

The teen slipped into the rushing waters, and his 15-year-old friend tried to pull him out with an umbrella.

"It's a very dangerous spot, and the odds are against anyone who would go into the water right now," said Mark Noble, Mesquite Fire Department.

While rescuers scouted out overpasses in the area, high waters and overgrown terrain made it tough.

The teen was last seen being swept under the bridge.

Emergency crews said they would remain at the scene late into the night to continue their search.
- WFAA-TV's Craig Civale in Mesquite

10:03p Rescue crews were warming up two people after they were rescued from their stuck SUV in Rowlett Creek. A man and woman in a blue SUV apparently drove right through some high water. When the SUV became stuck, the two people were able to climb out of the windows and onto the top of the SUV, where they could be seen huddled together since 7:30 p.m.

WFAA-TV

Two people huddle as they wait for rescuer on top of an SUV in Rowlett Creek.

The duo used their cell phone to call for help, and rescuer were finally able to reach them in a yellow raft shortly before 10 p.m.

The man and woman were escorted to an ambulance, where they were being check out by paramedics.
- WFAA-TV's Jason Whitely in Garland

9:49p The search continues for a teen who slipped in rushing creek water near an I-635 overpass at Bruton Road. The teen disappeared earlier in the afternoon. A friend who was with him at the time he slipped into the waters said he saw him get sucked into a drainage pipe.

Also, rescuers are still working to help two trapped people on top of an SUV in Rowlett Creek.

Earlier in the day, A DART bus became stuck in rising water. Fifteen people had to be evacuated from the bus at Northwest Highway and Lawther in Dallas.
- WFAA-TV Staff Reports

9:22p Forecasted flooding changed from minor to moderate severity for the Cowleech fork of the Sabine at Greenville, affecting Hunt County. The flood warning was extended until Thursday afternoon. The river is expected to rise to a crest near 17 feet. Road closures will be needed along the river reach.
- The National Weather Service

9:11p More Ellis County roads have been closed, including Pierce at Cole, Bluff Springs bridge, Ebenezer Road bridge, Boyce Road south of FM 878, Gibson Road north of FM 878 and Palmyra Road west of the railroad tracks.
- Diana Buckley, Ellis County Human Service

9:10p Barricades will remain in place at several intersections to prevent unsafe crossing. CERT volunteers have been posted at the closed intersections throughout the evening, but with waters somewhat subsiding, the volunteers are being released from those locations.

The most flooded area is at the bridge on Miller at Dexham Road. The Rowlett side of the bridge is barricaded. Garland has jurisdiction on the eastbound side of Miller so we have coordinated with the City of Garland to ensure that their side the road is barricaded for the remainder of the night. The water on the Miller Road bridge at Dexham Road is now 24 inches deep.
- Donna Huerta, Rowlett PIO

8:41p Flood warning continue for the west fork of the Trinity near Boyd affecting Wise County, Elm fork of the Trinity near Carrollton affecting Dallas County, Denton Creek near Justin affecting Denton County, Sister Grove Creek near Blue Ridge affecting Collin County and the Trinity River at Dallas affecting Dallas County.
- The National Weather Service

8:31p An update has come in on the stranded motorist in Garland. It now appears there is actually two. A male and female could be seen on top of an SUV in Rowlett Creek. Rescue attempts are still underway.
- WFAA.com

8:30p A flood warning has been issued for the East fork of the Trinity River near Crandall and affecting Kaufman County and near Rosser and affecting Ellis and Kaufman counties. The flooding forecast changed from minor to moderate severity for the east fork of the Trinity at McKinney, affecting Collin County.
- The National Weather Service

8:06p Garland authorities are searching for a motorist who reportedly drove around a barricade and is believed to now be trapped in high water. The motorist was believed to be trapped in an area at East Campbell and Brand.
- WFAA.com

WFAA-TV

Waters creep close to Red Oak homes.

8:05p A flood warning was issued for the cities of Waxahachie, Red Oak and Midlothian in Ellis County until midnight.
- The National Weather Service

7:54p A flood warning was issued for Dallas County until midnight.
- The National Weather Service

7:47p The Rowlett Emergency Operations Center reported that they were notified of a fallen tree that is blocking the street at 3401 Woodbridge Road. The large tree reportedly fell onto an unoccupied vehicle, and was completely blocking off the street.
- WFAA.com

7:40p I live in Wylie, and at my home, on 544 where Plano meets Murphy, there were extreme amounts of flooding on the entire golf course area, as well as on houses going eastbound on 544 toward Wylie. I thought it was worth mentioning that many houses along that creek side are in danger of completely flooding. Water is to the back doors. That was at 4:30 p.m., and it is still raining.
- Roxanne Rousseau, a News 8 viewer

7:26p While Castle at Foxwood in Rowlett has reopened, additional intersections have been closed in the city to flooding. The new closures include: Dalrock at Waterway, Castle at Dexham and Stonehaven at Ainsdale.

A few citizens have reported flooding in their homes, basements and garages. Also, several intersections are approaching levels of possible necessary closures.
- Donna Huerta, Rowlett PIO

6:34p Most people can probably just double their commute time traffic is so bad out there. Just after 6:15 p.m., a car was spotted overturned at Northwest Highway. We have seen a similar theme, which is that a lot of the side roads are seeing high waters and are where most of the accidents have been seen.

WFAA-TV

A police car blocks an overturned car on Northwest Highway.

On the eastbound lanes of Interstate 20 at Kelly Elliot Road in Tarrant County, a tow truck driver could be seen pulling a SUV out of a muddy area.

In the Dallas County area, at Central Expressway and McCommas, a bus was spotted stalled in the center lane.

- WFAA-TV's Alexa Conomos

6:32p Five major intersections in Rowlett have been closed due to heavy flooding and approximately eight streets are under close observation for flooding and will be closed if needed.

The City of Rowlett activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 and dozens of Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Radio Amateur Citizens Emergency Services (RACES) volunteers went to work to assist the Rowlett Police and Fire Rescue Departments in providing public safety.

The Rowlett Public Works Department has approximately 15 employees setting up barricades in those flooded areas at the present time.

The roads that have been closed include: Kings Court at Liberty Grove, Broadmore at Liberty Grove, Main Street at the railroad crossing, Castle at Foxwood, Miller at Dexham.
- Donna Huerta, Rowlett PIO

6:29p The Salvation Army has set up at the intersection of Enchanted and Creekwood. They will provide hot meals and water to anyone in need of assistance at about 6:30 p.m.
- WFAA.com

6:19p Rescue teams from Mesquite and Balch Springs are searching for a 14-year-old boy, who was reportedly swept away by flood waters.

Authorities said two teens were playing at a creek at about 1:42 p.m. near the I-635 overpass at Bruton Road. Both teens were then reportedly swept up by the waters. While one of the teens swam back safely, he told authorities he saw his friend get sucked up into a drainage pipe.

A command center has been set up for the search at McWhorter Park, which is located at 1700 Springlake Drive.
- WFAA.com

6:01p At the spot where I stand along Ten Mile Creek in Lancaster, water is receding, which is good news for residents who were preparing to evacuate.

WFAA-TV

Residents remove their homes as they evacuate.

Flooding is no stranger to residents along the creek.

"You know, it's frustrating," said Claudia Keyser, a resident in the area. "I guess we knew when we bought this that it had flooded here before. So, we didn't come in here dumb, believing that it would never happen again."

Residents packed up personal items and pets.

And while Keyser said she was aware of the problem, some residents said they have had enough of the floods, which have hit the area four times in ten years.

"Well, we will have to relocate," said Dave Keyser, resident. "It's not worth it. We love it here, but we'll have to relocate."

Lancaster officials said there have been no reports of injuries in the area. Meanwhile, homes in some areas have been evacuated and rescue teams are out in boats.
- WFAA-TV's Jason Whitely in Lancaster

6p The heavy rains may transition into moderate rains as the thunderstorms that are in place now shift off to the east. The rain will still continue to fall, but the heaviest of the heavy areas of the storm are trying to move just to the east of Dallas. With the rain still in the forecast, Hill County remains under a Flash Flood Warning until 7 p.m., Fannin and Hunt counties until 7:30 p.m., Dallas, Tarrant, Lamar, Hopkins and Delta until 8 p.m. and Rockwall, Collin, Kaufman, Ellis and Johnson counties until 8:15 p.m. I'm now getting reports of several streets being closed down in Wylie as flash flooding occurs.
- WFAA-TV's Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus

5:45p Some West Dallas residents along the Trinity River are being urged to move higher ground until the rain fully subsides. According to city officials, the Pavaho Sump near Topeka Avenue in the area south of the Trinity River had reached an elevation of 399 feet by mid-afternoon. In March 2006, the pump reached an elevation of 404 feet and caused some flooding in low lying areas. A Red Cross shelter will be available after 6 p.m. at the Nash-Davis Recreation Center at 3710 N. Hampton Road. The Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue have assigned extra patrols in those areas to assist citizens if needed, the city said.
- Dallasnews.com

5:30p The Murphy Police Department reported a fatal accident that occurred at abut 12:25 p.m. in the 600 block of West F.M. 544.

Authorities said 38-year-old Tina Cooley, of Wylie, was traveling westbound on FM 544 in a Ford Focus. Police said heavy rain between Heritage Parkway and Dublin Road led to her vehicle hydroplaning. Cooley reportedly lost control of the car and crossed across a grassy median and then swerved back into the eastbound lanes while heading south.

The Focus landed in the path of a Ford F-350 pickup truck, and was struck on the passenger side.

All three occupants in the pickup were taken to Medical Center Hospital in Plano, which was where 10-year-old Maeze Cooley, one of the three, was pronounced dead. Her 9-year-old brother, Reese Cooley, was transferred to Children's Medical Center of Dallas for further treatment.

Deborah Reynolds, the driver of the pickup, was not injured during the accident.

Authorities said at this time there are no plans to file criminal charges.
- WFAA.com

5:19p The weather will continue to be a big story though tonight; and I'm talking about the overnight period as well.

WFAA-TV

This car is a casualty of high water on Overton Road near I-45 in Dallas.

While by the time people begin heading to work tomorrow the sun will be hading out, waves of rain will continue to move through North Texas tonight. The storms are moving from the south to the north.

We are getting reports of water over roads in Johnson County There is continued moderate to heavy rain.

As rains fall in Fort Worth now, the area will continue to see moderate rains over the next several hours.

In Ellis County, which is where the weather is heading to towards Dallas, Flash Flood Warnings are in place. The heaviest ban of rain that is hitting across North Texas right now is in the northern sections of Ellis County, and will be moving through the southern area of Dallas County. It's going to hit Lancaster.

That heavy storm will hit Lancaster at 5:21, Wilmer at 5:22, Hutchins at 5:28, Balch Springs and 5:37, Mesquite at 5:44 and Tripp at 5:49 p.m.
- WFAA-TV's Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus

5:14p The following roads in Ellis County have been closed due to high waters: In precinct three, Barton, Bee Creek Bell Branch, Cox, Higgins, Madison Wilson, Morgan, Old Maypearl, Ozro, Smith and White Rock roads. In precinct four, Stevie Mike at McAda, Bryson from the county line to West Highland, Bryson from Shiloh to Montgomery, Westmoreland from 664 to Mulkey, Bob White to Westmoreland.

Officials said they are also checking on Shawnee Road at Red Oak Creek.

- Diana Buckley, Ellis County Human Service

4:56p A Flash Flood Warning has been activated for Dallas County and eastern Tarrant County until 8 p.m. Areas that will continue to be affected by the heavy rain include Irving, University Park, Colleyville, Keller, Grapevine, Southlake, Farmers Branch, Garland, Rowlett, Coppell, Addison, Carrollton, Richardson and Sachse.
- The National Weather Service

4:50p One water rescue has been made in Denton County. The hot spot in the county is at Denton Creek. Patrols are monitoring the area at Highway 407.
- Judy Gonzales, Chief Denton County Emergency Services

4:47p The city of Garland has 15 areas in which they have received calls for barricades to be put up due to high waters. Those areas include: Yale between Glenrose to Tynes, Centerville at First, Naaman School at Brand, Glenbrook between Glenbrook Ct. and Wildbriar, Saturn at Northwest, Walnut at Walnut Circle, Nottingham at English, First at Avenue D, 5400 LaJolla, Hilltop between Robin and Patricia, Patton at Miller, Bobtown at Barnes Bridge, Holford between Arapaho and 190, Brand between Campbell and Renner and Miles at Pleasant Valley.
- WFAA Staff Reports

4:46p A passenger on American Airlines' flight 731 called to report that the plane, which she said sat on the runway for two-and-a-half hours, was about to take off to head towards Memphis, Tenn.
- WFAA Staff Reports

4:44p The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Emergency Operation Center is prepared to operate throughout the night to assist the thousands of passengers left stranded by the thunderstorms. Airlines have canceled more than 550 flights at D/FW and diverted more than 100 incoming flights.

WFAA-TV

Strain could be seen on many of the faces of those waiting at D/FW Airport.

The FAA lifted the ground stop at D/FW this afternoon, and approximately 30 aircraft per hour were able to depart. Ongoing lightning and strong winds may ground more flights this evening.

“This is one of the most vicious thunderstorms D/FW has seen in quite some time, especially its ongoing intensity,” said Ken Capps, vice president of public affairs for D/FW. “Add in two snow storms in the past two weeks and this has been one of the most unusual early spring weather patterns in years. We know it can be frustrating for passengers, but everyone’s top priority is their safety.”

DFW had been preparing for the storm for more than 24 hours and was ready with additional personnel and emergency plans to handle the storm. Tonight DFW concessionaires will stay open throughout the night to assist passengers and the Airport will make available cots and other services to those forced to stay the night.

The Airport has monitored tarmac time of all aircraft throughout the day and assisted airlines in returning some planes and passengers to terminals.
- D/FW Airport

4:18p At this time, there is 6,700 electric customers in the Dallas Fort Worth area without power Most of those are reportedly on the eastside of the area.
- Megan Wright with Oncor

4:16p The city of Lancaster and Red Cross workers have combined efforts to open the Lancaster Recreation Center for residents living along Ten Mile Creek. The center is located at 1700 Veterans Memorial Parkway.

A shelter is also on stand-by in Red Creek, which is where officials are investigating areas of concern that include a mobile home park off I-35 between Highway 77 and Road Oak Road. No one has needed to utilize the shelter as of yet.

The Trinity River in South Dallas, Cadillac Heights area, has spilled water into the backyards of homes. As a precautionary measure, the Red Cross and the city of Dallas will open a shelter at 6:00 p.m. at the Nash-Davis Recreation Center, which is located at 3710 N. Hampton in Dallas.
- Anita Foster with the Red Cross

4:13p A lightning strike turned into a scare for one teen at an Arlington church.

Katherine Zarowitz, 17, was helping move items in the parking lot of the Rush Creek Christian Church in the 2400 block of West Green Oaks Boulevard when lightning hit near the church's steeple.

A witness said the lightning traveled down the roof and down towards the parking lot, which was where Zarowitz and her youth pastor were moving items on a cart.

"All of the sudden I saw this big spark, and it looked like something was catching on fire," Zarowitz said.

As Zarowitz fell to the ground, a witness called an ambulance.

"We believe she may have just been near the strike," said Battalion Chief Jeff Holloway, Arlington Fire Department.

"I think it was mostly the shock that I just fell down; and it wasn't really a force," Zarowitz said. "It just scared me really bad."

Firefighters found smoke, but no fire when they arrived on the scene.
- WFAA-TV's Chris Hawes and Jim Douglas in Arlington

4:14p Flooding is already well underway at the north end of White Rock Creek. Hours and hours of rain have created a rush of water. While looking at it, you can see the white caps, which makes you think of the strength of the rushing water underneath. All of this runoff is coming from Collin County, and some of it from Grayson County. Police have blocked off the area, where earlier a DART bus became stuck in the mud. All the passengers were rescued, but it looks like the bus will be there for awhile.
- WFAA-TV's Brad Hawkins at Flag Pole Hill in White Rock Park