Photo: Al Diaz Miami Herald/Associated Press Davie Moreno walks through a flooded street at Holiday Acres Mobile Home Park in Hialeah, Florida on June 12, 2024.
Freida Frisaro – The Associated Press and Curt Anderson-Associated Press in Fort Lauderdale
Posted at 1:56 p.m.
- United States
Due to a tropical disturbance, South Florida faced a rare flash flood emergency, delaying flights at two of Florida's largest airports. state and left vehicles waterlogged and stranded on some of the area's lowest streets.
Travelers in the area were trying to adjust their plans Thursday morning. More than 20 inches of rain have fallen in parts of South Florida since Tuesday, with more rain expected in the coming days.
Lines for tickets and security snaked around the domestic concourse at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly before noon. Flight information boards showed that about half of the terminal’s flights had been canceled or postponed.
Wednesday’s torrential rains and subsequent flooding blocked roads, swept away vehicles and even delayed the Florida Panthers’ trip to Canada to play the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup.
The disorganized storm system was moving across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico around the same time as the start of the hurricane season, which this year is expected to be one of the most active in recent memory amid fears that climate change increases the intensity of storms.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000According to the National Hurricane Center, the disturbance did not reach cyclone status and only 'a small chance of transforming into a tropical system when it emerges into the Atlantic Ocean after crossing Florida.
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State of emergency
The National Weather Service in Miami said in a message published on the social network early Thursday that a band of heavy precipitation was expected over the region for the third consecutive day.
“Even a short duration of heavy rain could lead to additional flash flooding,” the message warns.
The mayors of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood said the state emergency for their city Wednesday afternoon. Later in the day, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for five counties: Broward and Miami-Dade, on Florida's Atlantic coast, and Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties , on the west coast of the state.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also declared a local state of emergency .
Further north, the National Weather Service in Melbourne confirmed that an EF-1 tornado struck Hobe Sound on Florida's Atlantic coast, north of West Palm Beach, Wednesday morning.
The winds toppled several trees and damaged a store, Martin County firefighters said. No injuries were reported, but access to the wealthy island of Jupiter was cut off by debris on the road.
Florida has already had a week humid and agitated. In Miami, about 15 centimeters of rain fell Tuesday and 17 centimeters in Miami Beach, according to the National Weather Service. Hollywood received about 12 centimeters of water.
The western part of the state, much of which has experienced prolonged drought, also received significant rainfall . Nearly 6.5 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, according to the weather service, and flash flood warnings were also in effect in those areas.
< p>Forecasts call for an exceptionally busy hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a U.S. federal agency, estimates that there is an 85% chance that the season will Atlantic hurricane rates are above average, predicting between 17 and 25 named storms in the coming months, including up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms.