Videos on social media show the damage after a tropical disturbance brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida.
The storm brought up to 18 inches of rain in some parts of South Florida on Wednesday, flooding roads, blocking routes, and forcing some to abandon their vehicles in the street.
One video posted on X, formerly Twitter, shows a flooded street full of abandoned cars in Aventura, a city north of Miami.
“Unbelievable flooding in Aventura just north of Miami. Street full of abandoned cars. This area is still under Flash Flood Emergency,” meteorologist Reid Lybarger wrote alongside the clip.
Another video showed a home in Hallandale Beach with several inches of water.
Another clip showed several abandoned vehicles on a street in Hallandale Beach, where the flooding had led to water almost reaching the hood of the vehicles.
The National Weather Service’s Miami office said on X that parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties were seeing “life-threatening flooding with widespread road closures & impacts to homes/businesses. Please stay put if you do not need to travel!”
The flooding prompted mayors in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Aventura to declare a state of emergency for their cities on Wednesday afternoon.
A tropical rainstorm has delivered 17 inches of rain in the last 24 hours across South Florida, prompting a flash flood emergency near Miami and the closure of I-95. pic.twitter.com/k8q43xxQr2
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) June 12, 2024
“This unprecedented storm has unleashed over 11 inches of rainfall in Aventura today, posing significant challenges to our community,” Aventura officials said in a statement posted on X.
“Our dedicated police force and public works teams are actively engaged in safeguarding public safety amidst these trying conditions. We urge residents to limit unnecessary travel and remain vigilant by staying up to date with our regular updates.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for five counties—Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Florida’s Atlantic coast and Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties on the state’s west coast.
The National Hurricane Center gave the disturbance only a small chance of forming into a tropical system after it crosses Florida.
“Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across portions of the Florida peninsula through late this week,” the hurricane center said on its website early Thursday.
The NWS has extended flood watches for much of south Florida through Friday, with some places forecast to receive up to another 8 inches of rain.
“These additional rainfall amounts will be capable of producing additional flooding on top of current flooding ongoing across portions of South Florida,” the weather service warned.
“You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.”
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