Thursday, March 28, 2024

Record Rainfall in Southlake Over the Weekend

Did anyone else have the words to the popular nursery rhyme “Rain, Rain, Go Away” stuck in their head Sunday? It came fast and it came furious. The City of Southlake had a total of 5.64 inches of rain on Sunday afternoon. The majority of that, 5.5 inches to be exact, fell within just 30 minutes.

The heavy rainfall caused several headaches around town. From flooded roadways, overflowing drainage systems to fallen tree limbs, the storm served as a tangible reminder to always be weather aware.

“Severe weather can happen very fast,” notes Southlake Emergency Management Coordinator Amanda Meneses. “When it does happen, don’t try to brave the storm, normally it passes quickly and if you see something that impacts public safety, report it.”

This has been a record-setting year for rainfall. According to the National Weather Service, as of May, the DFW area has seen more than 19 inches of rain this year. Last May, we saw almost two inches of rain in May, this year we had more than eight inches in May. This means the ground has been very saturated, that doesn’t leave much room for the additional water any new rainfall brings. But the water has to go somewhere, right?

The City has an extensive drainage system that is designed to channel rainwater. City engineers are always considering how water will impact public lands. When they see an issue, they work with the City Council to invest public dollars into proper drainage. If you have more questions about drainage in Southlake, visit our Stormwater and Drainage page on the City website.

Also, remember with heavy rainfall there can be debris left over and Republic Services, the City’s solid waste contractor, can help with that. Republic Services provides curbside collection of bulky waste during the regular residential collection at the rate of up to two cubic yards for no additional charge. The brush should be bundled in length of no more than four feet and no more than 50 pounds. If you have additional questions about trash collection, click here for more information.