State of emergency declared in Fort Lauderdale as heavy rain drenches South Florida

More than two feet of rain piled up in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, prompting a flash flood emergency and turning major roadways into rivers as a slow-moving storm inundated South Florida. A state of emergency was issued on Thursday as many roadways were still inundated and the city's airport remained closed.

The flash flood emergency was issued by the National Weather Service Wednesday through the late-evening hours for Fort Lauderdale, as well as areas near Hollywood and Dania Beach. A flash flood warning was in effect earlier Wednesday throughout Broward County.

On Thursday evening, a flash flood warning was again issued for eastern Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale. Heavy rain and intense lightning were reported in the city as stalled cars remained on the roads.

On Thursday morning, the city of Fort Lauderdale issued a state of emergency declaration due to the flash flooding. Later that same day, a state of emergency was declared for Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale is located.

"Large parts of the city have been underwater because of the unprecedented amount of rainfall," Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis wrote in an update. "I give my heartfelt thanks to the police officers, firefighters, public works employees and other city staffers that worked hard through the storm."

Motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles due to the severe flooding that unfolded. By Thursday morning, many vehicles remained submerged on the side of major roadways.

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport closed on Wednesday after the runway and surrounding roads turned into lakes and rivers. The airport announced on Thursday morning that it would remain closed until at least 9 a.m. EDT on Friday due to the severity of the flooding.

A local fire station was forced to evacuate on Wednesday after more than a foot of water poured into the station.

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Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue stated Wednesday evening that due to the "severe flooding in multiple areas of the city," residents should stay off of roads and "remain home unless absolutely necessary." Flooding on Interstate 95 was evident early in the afternoon hours.

Due to the extreme rainfall and flooding, Broward County Public Schools will be closed through Friday.

Over a 24-hour period that ended on Thursday morning, Fort Lauderdale received 25.91 inches of rainfall. While unofficial, some rain totals reportedly topped 30 inches.

Unofficial Florida rainfall reports from April 12, 2023.

The National Weather Service says that all rainfall totals from Wednesday are preliminary and won't be confirmed until a survey crew assesses the information.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva, the majority of the rain fell during an eight-hour period on Wednesday.

While the 25.91-inch rainfall total recorded in Fort Lauderdale is still preliminary, if it gets confirmed, it will be the greatest 24-hour precipitation total recorded in the state. Currently, the record stands at 23.28 inches, which was reported in Key West on Nov. 11, 1980.

"April is still considered the dry season in southern Florida with Fort Lauderdale averaging only 3.70 inches of rain for the month of April," DaSilva said. "The rainiest time in South Florida is from June through September."

DaSilva said that the amount of rain that fell, which was from a slow-moving system that AccuWeather forecasters have been warning about since late last week, could make this a 1,000-2,000-year flood event.

It's important to note that a 1-in-1,000-year event means there is a 0.1% chance of the event happening in any given year.

"In fact, it appears that about 1.5 inches of rain occurred in 10 minutes in Fort Lauderdale - which is close to the United States' all-time record for rain in that short period of time," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter added. "The rarity of this extreme rainfall event is particularly noteworthy when you consider it did not occur during a hurricane landfall."

Porter added that even during a hurricane, it is unusual to get sustained rainfall rates of 4-6 inches per hour in the same exact spot.

In addition to the severe flooding, a tornado warning was issued for areas north of Miami Wednesday afternoon. Radar indicated a tornado moving northwest in the area, and a second tornado warning was issued shortly after for Hollywood. And a third tornado warning was issued around 9:30 p.m. EDT.

No tornado had been confirmed as of early Thursday despite the radar indication.

The flooding took place as rain, thunderstorms and winds continued to gather over the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico. These threats are forecast to spread across parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas into Friday evening.

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