Published: June 11, 2009 08:44 am      

Storms move across North, East Texas

Wire and Staff Reports

Forecasters expect flash-flooding in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex today as strong thunderstorms continue to rumble through North Texas.

The National Weather Service reports as much as four inches of rain had fallen on the region as of daybreak, with more rain in the offing. Estimates show about three inches of rain fell in Weatherford.

Winds estimated up to 70 mph swept the area, causing widespread damage. The worst appeared to be in the northern suburbs of Dallas and Fort Worth, where trees and chimneys toppled.

Springtown,in northern Parker County, also sustained wind damage as police reported signs and tree limbs blown down and some structural damage to homes and buildings.

Michelle Levitsky of Frisco says the storm winds bewildered her farm animals.

“When the storm hit, they started running around, running into each other. The goats were being knocked over and tumbling. The chickens — we had their wings clipped — they were in the air, just being picked up by the wind,” she told KDFW-TV of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Storms developing north and northwest of Fort Worth were moving, one after another, through Dallas and its suburbs and on to the east and southeast.

That’s bringing heavy rain and vivid lightning to complicate efforts to restore electric power to tens of thousands of customers. It also left scattered damage, especially in the northern suburbs of Dallas where some chimneys were toppled and shingles were stripped from roofs.

Damaging wind tore limbs from trees throughout the region, causing many of the power outages to more than 250,000 homes and businesses overnight. Oncor Electric Delivery spokeswoman Jeamy Molina says power had been restored to all but 145,000 Dallas-Fort Worth-area customers by daybreak Thursday. Repair crews were being brought in from outside the area, but each storm has forced the crews to suspend their work.