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Texas fire department responds to area flooding

Firefighters in El Paso are reminding drivers to use caution when approaching flooded streets because the amount of water on the road can be deceiving

By Daniel Borunda
The El Paso Times

EL PASO, Texas — The region could see more thunderstorms this evening, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Santa Teresa said.

Thunderstorms hit parts of El Paso on Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning. The storms caused isolated street flooding and a few minor problems.

Meteorologist Dave Hefner said there is a strong chance for isolated thunderstorms again this afternoon in El Paso. The chances for rain decrease the rest of the week.

There will be a 10 percent chance of rain Wednesday to Friday and the forecast for the weekend looks dry, Hefner said.

On Monday, the official measuring site at El Paso International Airport registered only a trace of rain but radar showed that heavy rain fell in West El Paso south of Sunland Park Drive and in Juarez, Hefner said.

The El Paso Fire Department reported a slight increase in weather-related emergency calls Monday. “We had a couple of motor vehicle accidents that were caused by the weather,” said Inspector John Concha, a Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters remind drivers to use caution when approaching flooded streets because the amount of water on the road can be deceiving. If approaching a street covered by water, motorists are advised to turn around and take an alternate route.

Copyright 2010 El Paso Times, a MediaNews Group Newspaper