2023-11-16 21:54:04
South Florida faced severe flooding following between 4 and 8 inches of rain fell in much of the area and 15 inches in the Everglades and the situation was expected to be complicated with the forecast of additional precipitation.
The National Weather Service Miami (NWS Miami) reported that coastal flood watches are now in effect for possible flooding during high tide cycles along the East Coast through Friday morning.
Beach conditions will also be hazardous during this time with a high risk of rip currents and dangerous waves in the surf zone.
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The NWS Miami also warned of dangerous winds on the coasts of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Aerial view of the flooding that affected West 29 Street and 14th Avenue in Hialeah due to the intense rains that hit South Florida on November 16, 2023. Pedro Portal [email protected]
A high wind warning was in effect until 1pm Thursday for wind gusts of up to 60mph. Also a storm warning for Atlantic waters for gusts of 50 to 60 knots.
The torrential rains of the last two days caused serious flooding, especially in the County Broward where the City of Fort Lauderdale experienced between 4 and 8 inches of heavy precipitation overnight Wednesday.
City officials reported there were reports of power outages, mooring issues, road flooding and wind damage throughout the area.
An additional 2 to 4 inches of rain was expected Thursday followingnoon, with possible wind gusts of up to 25 to 40 mph. A flood alert was in effect until 12pm on Wednesday.
“The water table is near saturation, meaning additional rainfall may not be able to drain away. “Fort Lauderdale expects the highest tide of the year this morning at approximately 10:30 am, which might exacerbate current conditions,” the city warned.
Public schools suspended classes due to bad weather and flooded road conditions, while in Miami-Dade County some schools also suspended operations.
Classes will resume in Broward this Friday, as announced by the superintendent of that county’s Public Schools, Peter Licata.
South Florida also experienced problems with the electricity supply.
“We are currently working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power to customers following the severe weather that affected parts of South Florida. Please be patient, stay safe and stay away from FPL teams. If you see a downed power line, call 1-800-4-OUTAGE,” the FPL company reported on its X account, former Twitter.
In Miami-Dade 27,055 people were Without eleectricityin Broward 12,102 and in Palm Beach 9,228, according to FPL data as of 4:48 pm Thursday.
Public transportation also faced problems. In Miami-Dade, Metromover trains and buses experienced delays.
“Due to the historic rain in Miami-Dade County, all modes of transportation, including Metrobus, Metromover, Metrorail and STS, are experiencing delays,” the transit system reported on its social networks.
The Brightline company reported that due to strong winds in South Florida it was experiencing impacts on the morning schedule with its fast trains.
A day before, it was forced to suspend the operations of its electric cars on the route to the airports of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, in the three counties of southern Florida due to flooding.
In Fort Lauderdale, Water Trolley and LauderGo Micro Mover services were suspended.
Authorities urged drivers to stay off the roads if possible and use extreme caution.
Many traffic lights were out, there was debris on several roads and city staff were conducting an assessment.
City facilities remained closed this Thursday.
This story was originally published on November 16, 2023 12:00 AM.
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