Severe storms hammering Texas on Wednesday forced the FAA to issue ground stops at major airports, with nearly 150 flights canceled or delayed at Dallas Fort Worth International and almost 700 delays reported the day before, according to FlightAware data.
The National Weather Service is predicting at least an inch of rainfall across North Texas through Friday, with Thursday bringing the highest flood risk. Some areas could see between 3 and 5 inches. School closures have already been announced, and flash flood warnings blanket the region as the system moves in.
A severe thunderstorm watch also covers central Texas as the system intensifies. Forecasters are bracing for isolated to scattered flooding in multiple counties.
Meanwhile, the punishing heat that gripped the northeast is ending abruptly. Wednesday marks the final day of a sweltering stretch that pushed temperatures into the low 90s, with New York City hitting roughly 92 degrees in Central Park on Tuesday. By the weekend, highs will plummet into the mid-60s.
Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, called the pattern a "seemingly endless temperature rollercoaster" that will continue through the holiday weekend with another sharp cooldown across the northeastern quarter of the nation.
The wild swings have taken a toll on the region's plant life and agriculture. Anderson noted that the repeated jolts from record-breaking heat to hard freezes and back again have left crops and landscapes battered. The volatile spring has also created rainfall deficits across parts of the mid-Atlantic and southeast, with rivers including the Potomac and Shenandoah dropping to record-low flow rates. Baltimore officials have begun encouraging residents to voluntarily conserve water.
Author James Rodriguez: "The northeast finally gets relief from the heat, but Texas is about to take the hit instead, and Mother Nature's mood swings are leaving infrastructure and agriculture scrambling to keep up."
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