Photo Credit: phive2015 for Adobe Stock
In the wake of unprecedented rainfall, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency across five counties in South Florida — Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota — according to published reports. Parts of Miami-Dade and Collier counties experienced up to 2 feet of rain, leading to severe flooding and widespread travel disruptions. Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Naples are among the hardest hit cities.
Air travel recovering after widespread delays, cancellations
As of late morning on Friday, Miami flights are experiencing minor departure delays, according to FlightView. That is following several days of excessive cancellations and delays due to the extreme weather conditions. More than 900 flights were canceled or delayed at Miami and Fort Lauderdale international airports yesterday, according to FlightAware.com, and the situation was even more dire on Wednesday, with more than 1,200 flights affected. Delays have also plagued airports in Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa.
Streets are flooded, vehicles stranded
Photos from Miami reveal the extent of the flooding, with cars nearly submerged on roads and homes inundated with water. In some neighborhoods, vehicles were abandoned and scattered haphazardly, with some residents wading through thigh-high waters to reach their destinations.
Rain will continue into the weekend
According to the National Weather Service, "continued heavy to excessive rainfall may bring considerable to locally catastrophic urban flooding today to South Florida with areas of flash and urban flooding remaining possible through Saturday. Flood Watches remain in effect."
The tropical disturbance responsible for the current deluge has already dumped up to 20 inches of rain in southern Florida, with conditions expected to worsen today. This disorganized storm system, arriving at the start of what is predicted to be an active hurricane season, raises concerns among forecasters about the increasing intensity of storms due to climate change.