FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Drivers were stuck in cars, travelers were stranded at the airport, streets were impassable, school and court were canceled and a man was spotted swimming through a downtown Fort Lauderdale street as South Florida started to emerge from what one city is calling a 50-year rain event.
More than 20 inches of rain poured down on Fort Lauderdale in just six hours Wednesday, and more is possible, the National Weather Service Miami said. A flash flood emergency was extended to at least noon Thursday for Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Hollywood, Dania Beach and Sunrise, a “life-threatening situation” in which people should seek higher ground.
Because of the extreme weather, Broward schools canceled classes and after-school activities on Thursday. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport closed about 5 p.m. and plans to stay closed until at least noon Thursday.
The sun should start to creep back out starting Thursday, National Weather Service Miami meteorologist George Rizzuto said, when the highest chances of rain will be in northern Broward and Palm Beach counties before drier air will move in Friday and Saturday.
Flash flooding brought one of South Florida’s main airports to a standstill. Entrance and exit roads to the Fort Lauderdale airport were “impassable,” officials said in a tweet, leaving travelers stranded. Status of flights can be reviewed with your airline or by using a flight tracker.
Nearly 200 flights at the Fort Lauderdale airport were canceled Wednesday and more than 130 were delayed, according to FlightAware.
The Henry E. Kinney Tunnel in downtown Fort Lauderdale remained closed Thursday morning and parts of Broward Boulevard were closed to traffic as well, although water is receding in other parts of the city and traffic is moving.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Steve Gollan said the southern part of the city by the airport and up to Broward Boulevard significantly flooded.
The calls firefighters responded to by Wednesday evening were largely drivers whose cars stalled out in too-deep water, requiring first responders to pick them up in high-water vehicles, Gollan said.
Firefighters were taking stranded people to higher ground, but they weren’t able to move their cars, Gollan said. Tow trucks will retrieve them later.
“There’s cars everywhere,” Gollan said.
More than 5,000 power outages in Broward and Miami-Dade County were reported by Florida Power & Light early Thursday.
Fort Lauderdale officials continued to urge people to stay off the streets on Thursday until water subsides.
The weather service’s flood warning remains in effect until at least noon on Thursday. Emergency crews worked throughout the night making rescue calls.
Water seeped into the Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue station near the airport in the 3400 block of Southwest Fourth Avenue Wednesday night, forcing first responders to evacuate with their equipment, Battalion Chief Michael Kane said in a text message. Kane said the evacuation would not cause any delayed responses to emergencies.
The tunnel in downtown Fort Lauderdale was closed, along with parts of Southeast 17th Street as drivers became stuck on the road, said City Manager Greg Chavarria.
A video shared on social media by Fort Lauderdale attorney Adam Horowitz showed a man swimming in deep water downtown on Broward Boulevard as cars drove by during rush hour, making small waves.
In Hollywood, a Florida Power & Light pole that powers the traffic light near Dixie Highway and Van Buren Street collapsed because of the severe weather, Broward County Emergency Management officials said in a tweet. A crash with a Brightline train and a truck hauling cars in Hollywood caused Brightline to suspend its services from Fort Lauderdale to Miami late into the night.
Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Hollywood, Hacienda, Pembroke Pines and Miramar were under tornado warnings for part of Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Nova Southeastern University put out an alert on the Fort Lauderdale-Davie campus to take shelter immediately. An all clear was given about 4 p.m.
There were unconfirmed reports of a tornado touching down in Dania Beach near the airport about 10 p.m. The National Weather Service Miami was working to verify the reports late Wednesday, said meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez said.
A roof collapsed at a strip mall in the 3200 block of Davie Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, police said. The building was empty, and no one was injured.
Coastal and metropolitan areas of Broward and Miami-Dade counties were under a flood watch for much of the afternoon and evening, while parts of central and southern Broward were under a flash flood warning into the late night, according to the weather service. Tornado warnings were issued for parts of Broward County about 3 p.m. and about 10 p.m.
“Move to higher ground now! This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order,” the weather service’s warning said.
Dania Beach alone recorded nearly 14 inches of rain from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, preliminary weather service reports said. Several other Broward County cities recorded totals upwards of 8 inches in the same 24-hour period.
Areas of Miami-Dade County have significantly flooded over the past few days, requiring additional temporary pumps to be added to permanent pumps at several intersections throughout the City of Miami, city officials said in a tweet. Earlier in the week, Miami Police officials said the majority of Overtown was flooded after just one day of rain.
The City of Miami recorded 2.8 inches of rain between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Palm Beach County was spared from the brunt of the deluge, with Lantana recording the most rain in the county between Tuesday and Wednesday night with 1.8 inches.
All of South Florida’s coast is at high risk of hazardous or life-threatening rip currents through Friday morning, according to the weather service.
More showers and thunderstorms are likely Thursday before 9 p.m., according to the weather service’s forecast, though the amount of rain is expected to be only between a tenth and a quarter of an inch.
The chance of rain will drop to 40% Friday, and Saturday is expected to be sunny with a high of 86 degrees.
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(Staff writers David Lyons and Kathy Laskowski contributed to this report.)
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