(CNN) Fort Lauderdale experienced its wettest day in history on Wednesday. This was his 1st rainfall in 1,000 years and caused a flash flood emergency in Broward County, prompting emergency rescues, forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles, closing schools, close the airport until 9am on Friday. And then it rains more.
According to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service in Miami, the area recorded 25.91 inches in 24 hours, while Fort Lauderdale recorded 25.91 inches in 24 hours.
Two weak tornadoes hit Broward County on Wednesday, according to the Miami National Weather Service. One is just west of Hollywood and the other is south of Fort Lauderdale Airport. Both were short-lived and rated EF-0, the weakest category.
The city of Fort Lauderdale said Thursday night that Thursday’s rains caused more flooding.
A flash flood warning for southern Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, has been extended until 9:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Two to three inches of rain fell in the exclusion zone on Thursday afternoon, the agency said. Especially south of Fort Lauderdale near Hollywood, there is the potential for another 1-3 inches.
14 to 20 inches of rain fell in the Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area since Wednesday afternoon, according to Thursday morning’s update from Miami’s National Weather Service. One mayor said the deluge was “the worst flood I’ve ever seen.”
Drivers drive on flooded Fort Lauderdale roads Thursday morning.
“That much rain in 24 hours is unbelievably rare in South Florida,” said Ana Torres Vazquez, a meteorologist with the Weather Service’s Miami Forecast Service.
Torres Vazquez explained that 20 to 25 inches of rainfall is comparable to the amount a major hurricane rains down on the region in over a day. She described rainfall as “her more than one event in 1,000 years.” meaning This is a very violent event, with only a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.
At the peak of Wednesday’s deluge, a month’s worth of rain fell in just one hour. Fort Lauderdale averages 3 inches of rain in April, and the last time he had a total of 20 inches of rain in a month was nearly 25 years ago.
A car is parked on a flooded street in Dania Beach, Florida, Wednesday.
Extreme rainfall is a characteristic result of climate warming and is occurring more frequently. The South Florida deluge is just the latest example after he had 1 rainfall in 1000 years in the past year in areas such as: Dallas, St. Louis, Eastern Kentucky and yellowstone.
“Though the heavy rains have stopped, many roads remain closed,” the Meteorological Agency said, adding that flooding was expected to continue.
Fort Lauderdale previously said on social media that “severe flooding was occurring in several areas of the city,” warning vehicles to stay off roads as they could become stranded or submerged. .
a flash flood emergency The highest level flood warnings in place for parts of South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, expired early Thursday.
A plane is docked at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday after heavy rains closed the airport.
City officials in Hollywood, Florida, are “doing everything they can” to deploy pumps and keep drains clean where possible, Mayor Josh Levy told CNN.
“More than 12 inches of rain has been recorded since midnight, in addition to seemingly non-stop rain on consecutive days,” Levy said. “The ground is already saturated and we are experiencing massive flooding across our city and across South Florida. Many roads are impassable. Many vehicles are stranded and left in the middle of the road. I’m here.
“I have lived here all my life. This is the most severe flooding I have ever seen,” he said.
Several state agencies and emergency resources are assisting in flood situations, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ news release.
DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Broward County on Thursday.
In Fort Lauderdale, the county sheriff’s office and the Florida Wildlife Commission have secured airboats and high-clearance buggies as officials activated an emergency operations center, they said in a statement early Thursday.
Fort Lauderdale city officials said paramedics worked overnight to respond to rescue calls throughout South Florida.
City Hall was closed on Thursday and will remain closed on Friday, officials said.
City officials are asking neighbors to be patient as “flood conditions are still affecting the southern part of the city this morning.”
“We expect the flooding to subside in the next few hours and to see improvements in certain areas downtown,” officials said.
Fort Lauderdale’s fire and rescue team received more than 900 calls during the nighttime flood, according to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantaris. Police and fire departments are still responding to calls, the city said. About 600 people were taken to evacuation centers, the city said.
People try to save valuables while walking through flood waters in their neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Thursday, April 13, 2023.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has assisted agencies with 300 rescue requests received during historic floods, the mayor said.
“There is no area in the city that has not been affected,” Trantaris said.
Authorities had asked residents to avoid driving or traveling in Fort Lauderdale during the storm.
“Public works staff are cleaning drains and operating pumps to relieve water as quickly as possible. To help individuals leaving the city, priority signals are used to ease traffic congestion. Efforts have been made: We are requiring drivers to stay off the road and out of the city. city of fort lauderdale said in a news release Wednesday night.
“With so much water, most areas need to drain naturally,” Trantaris said. “Crews are out in neighborhoods clearing storm drains to help water from the neighborhood recede. Vacuum trucks are strategically deployed throughout the city.”
The Florida Highway Patrol has closed several exits on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale, the city’s fire department said.
Drivers battle puddles on a Fort Lauderdale road Thursday morning.
In Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, authorities are working to cut off two water mains. according to Go to Coral Gables Police Station.
Police said flooding had closed some roads in the city and restricted movement on others, requiring residents to spend extra time commuting. increase.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that it was “inundated with non-emergency 911 calls regarding severe weather”, asking residents to use 911 only in “genuine emergencies” and discouraging drivers from driving. He called on residents to avoid and call a tow truck. The company if the vehicle is stranded and it is not an emergency.
Some local services are closed on Thursdays. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is closed due to ongoing flooding nearby and will reopen at 9 AM on Friday. according to the update from the airport.
In this aerial image, cars drive through a flooded street after record rain on April 13, 2023 in Hollywood, Florida.
Brightline service between Miami and Fort Lauderdale has been temporarily suspended. the service said on social media. restored on thursday.
Additionally, Broward County Public Schools announced that the school district will be closed for a second day on Friday.
“No city planned this,” said Trantalis.
Trantaris says he has spoken to the White House and Senator Marco Rubio about the situation.
“DeSantis hasn’t called yet, but I’m sure he’s very interested in what’s going on here,” the mayor told the governor.
trapped in a flood
Mandi-Lynn Guertin flew to Fort Lauderdale with friends for the three-day country music festival that begins Friday.
The group flew in from Connecticut and had never experienced weather like this, Gartin told CNN.
The car they rented was stuck in about 3 feet of water and had to be left on the side of the road as it soon filled up with water.
“We can’t leave Airbnb right now because the flood waters are too high and Uber won’t pick us up,” Guertin says.
The street in front of Mandy Lynn Gartin’s Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday.
Guertin and her friends are back home working with emergency services, but the rapid nature of the flooding really scared them Wednesday night, she said.
“Southern hospitality and helping your ‘neighbors’ is really what’s here and I couldn’t be more grateful today,” she wrote on Facebook. He did a lot for us.”
For now, the group will be waiting for it on Airbnb, having no choice but to hope enough water recedes to allow them to attend tomorrow’s music festival, which has not yet been cancelled.
According to event organizers, Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival is set to “move forward” as planned despite the flooding conditions in the city.
Dawn Grayson lives 20 minutes from Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale and was stranded on her way home Wednesday after heavy rain flooded the airport and surrounding roads.
The view from Dawn Grayson’s car as she waits for the floodwaters to subside so she can drive home.
Ms Grayson was stuck in her car for several hours while she waited for the floodwaters to subside, she told CNN.
“Parking lots were flooded and cars were stranded,” Grayson said. “We were on the terminal road and he was stuck in the car for five hours.”
CNN’s Melissa Alonso, Brandon Miller, Robert Shackelford, Derek Van Dam, Sara Weisfeldt, Tina Burnside, Devon Sayers, and Taylor Ward contributed to this report.
