Texas rains, don't this beat all

[Bird]

According to some of news stories, we've had places flood this year that have not flooded in the last 150 years. In my case, we are not in what would be considered a flood plain, and the mortgage company did not require flood insurance. However, the realtor mentioned that they used to have some flooding problems in this neighborhood, but she thought it had all been corrected. Last week, I also met a former city employee who asked whether we'd had any problems. He said this neighborhood used to flood, but the drainage ditches had apparently corrected that. At the present time, the city is re-working some of the drainage, as well as re-working the sanitary sewer. So we've had no problem, I really don't expect a problem, but who knows. Whatever the city does may make it better, but such projects have also been known to occasionally make things worse.

We're also located about 4 blocks from the police station, and I think it's a safe bet that if flooding gets bad enough for me to have to wade, they'll be swimming in the police station.

 

[EddieWalker]

The storms have changed from big rains, to isolated downpours. The last three days have been dry, but tonight we're getting drenched. Roads are washing out with bridges not being big enough and culverts that can't handle the constant assult.

One thing that I keep thinking about is that those bridges and culverts were designed and built by experts, and they didn't get it right. So what the heck, mine are all holding up fine.

We're at one inch so far and no idea when it will end tonight. The forecast has a chance of rain every day for the next two weeks.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

Was the area that flooded in Ft. Worth flood prone? Is that an area where people had [or should have had] flood ins?

There are lots of little creeks and just drainage from all the streets and concrete parking lots that cause flooding problems when there are heavy rains. I used to live a mile from the Trinity river and never had a problem because I was up on a rise probably 50' above the river's flood plane. Even so, I've seen my street turn into a raging stream with water over the curb and lapping at my perimeter sidewalk.

I'm not sure where Bird lives, but many of the residential areas are just large flat areas with less than perfect drainage. Water will run off pretty quickly, but not in a downpour and a whole lot less when the ground is already saturated. Most of our floods are flashfloods that go away as fast as they appear, but in the meantime, they do tremendous damage.

Dallas and Ft. Worth are at about 600' elevation. I'm 70 miles northwest and my property is at about 950' elevation. Our problem has very little to do with the type of problem New Orleans has with being below sea level and lake level. Ours is just the inability for water to get out of residential areas and into the watershed.

 

[rox]

Yep, Jack, there have been times this year when the yard needed mowing, but was too wet. However, with a 40% chance of rain yesterday that never happened, I mowed my yard, and today with a 60% chance of rain that hasn't happened here yet, I mowed one daughter's yard in Irving, and the other daughter's yard in Coppell.

And Bird wrote this: Eddie, we had rain in the forecast and I'd promised a neighbor I'd mow his yard while they're out of town, so Friday morning, I started early and hurried to get it mowed. And it started raining just as I finished. But it barely got everything wet; maybe .03" and it was over

Hey Bird, Do you really enjoy mowing grass or are your rates so low people can't say no to you?

 

[Bird]

Hey Bird, Do you really enjoy mowing grass or are your rates so low people can't say no to you?

Yep, my rates are low alright; zero. All I get out of it is exercise. No, actually I also take care of the neighbors' two cats when they're out of town, and since I don't charge for what I do, they have given me a couple of gift certificates for some pretty nice places to eat.

 

[wushaw]

All this rain everywhere and my back pond still isn't full, I get a little and everybody else gets ALOT....the small watershed may have something to do with it...oh well someday I will see it full

 

[Bird]

Al, I would have thought Bristol would have seen plenty this year. I've seen some place in the past that said our average annual rainfall was about 34" and another place that we're in between 36" to 38". But according to the National Weather Service website, Denton had 17.88" in 2005 and 25.01" in 2006. And according to my rain gauge we've already had 33.75" this year. And there's a 20% to 60% chance of rain every day and every night in the forecast for at least the next week. And if I don't mow my yard every 3 days, the grass sure gets too tall.

 

[wushaw]

Bird, I have had rain just not like y'all up on the north side. My garden sure has liked it

 

[jinman]

...the small watershed may have something to do with it...oh well someday I will see it full

Good luck with the pond. The small watershed is a problem I have observed at two ponds in my area. All the ponds around them are full, but these two are no more than 1/3 full because they just don't have a watershed for runoff. I don't have that problem. As a matter of fact, my problem is that every drop of runoff for acres and acres around my property sheds through my ponds before getting to the bigger lake. Too much watershed can be a problem too.

 

[EddieWalker]

We woke up to thunder and heavy rain this morning. Right now at 8am, my rain gauge shows over an inch of rain. The predictions are for the heavy stuff to start around noon and increase later in the afternoon. They are also predicting this to last for three days!!!!!!

The weatherman on the news last night said we are more then ten inches above normal with 32.5 inches so far this year. Their official weather station is at the airport in Tyler, which for some reason is always on the low side for rain totals. The record for Tyler was just set last week with 3 inches of rain, but I've had five inch days here and that very day they got 3 inches, Lindale had 5 to 7 inches. Lindale it just a few miles North of Tyler. So the official numbers are probably on the low side for me personally.

Eddie