Wet weather in South

Heavy rain swept across the South this week, flooding thousands of homes in multiple states, sparking both state and federal responses.

Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas - R: "Yesterday is the second worst rainstorm and flooding in Dallas since 1932 and the second worst on record. And so what people in the Dallas area, as well as this  entire region, sustained was an extraordinary challenge."

Early in the week, more than ten inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period in the drought-parched Dallas-Fort Worth metro, flooding streets and stranding motorists.

Mayor Eric Johnson (D) Dallas: "We got hit pretty hard and we got hit in a historic way. The sky opened up and soon after our streets closed down. The storm was immense. "

The same system dropped 15 inches of rain on east Texas, sending rivers out of their banks. Twenty- three Texas counties were declared disaster areas from the rain system, activating state resources for the affected counties. 

The heavy rain won’t help a drought damaged cotton crop.

Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture: “You know, it’s basically too late to help the cotton crop on the high plains. The high plains of Texas are the largest cotton growing area in the United States.Looks like a 10-12% crop. Even the, even the irrigated cotton out there looks terrible. Cotton’s going to be in short supply this time.”

Mississippi also took heavy rain from the system, stranding motorists and blocking access to rural communities.

Joe Davis, Fire Marshal: "When the water comes down that fast and that quick, it has nowhere to go and that's when the water back up."

Further east, flash flood warnings were issued across central and southern Mississippi. Schools in the region are closed until floodwaters recede. The storms gave Jackson, Mississippi its wettest August on record.

Brenda Smith, Canton, Mississippi resident: "The whole town is almost flooded. This is ridiculous."

One hiker was swept to her death during a flash flood in Zion National Park Utah. The thunderstorm stranded 200 visitors and staff for several hours at the Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico due to flash flooding. Trails in the National Park remain closed. The region has seen multiple floods this summer as pocket storms drop heavy rains over small areas.

A levee was breached in Duncan, Arizona in the wake of the storms. The Gila River, swollen by rains from the recent system, overwhelmed the dirt barrier. Dozens of residents were evacuated ahead of the floodwaters.  

More wet weather is predicted across the South and Southwest this weekend.

For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs