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Thunderstorms that hit Fort Lauderdale and other parts of southeastern Florida were expected to intensify again Thursday with up to two feet of rain. the forecaster saidafter a storm left motorists flooded and travelers stranded inside a closed international airport.
Storms are becoming the norm in South Florida, but preliminary estimates released by the National Weather Service show more than 25 inches of rain in 24 hours at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The airport was scheduled to close Wednesday evening and fully reopen Thursday noon.
If confirmed, total precipitation would break the Fort Lauderdale one-day record of 14.59 inches set on April 25, 1979. This city in Broward County on Florida’s Atlantic coast is he one of the largest cities in the state.
A combination of closures, flooding and bad weather resulted in hours of traffic jams.
“I’ve been living here forever,” said 49-year-old Dawn Grayson, who was stuck in traffic for four hours after arriving at the airport to find that her flight to Las Vegas had been cancelled. . “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
The Fort Lauderdale skies eventually cleared and there were no immediate reports of injuries. However, the Fort Lauderdale area suffered a rare flash flood emergency for several hours throughout the night. This is a warning for situations where rapid currents pose a serious threat to human life and can cause catastrophic damage.
The emergency ended at 2:00 am Eastern time.
However, additional rainfall expected on Thursday will hit already saturated ground, further increasing the likelihood of localized flooding. the meteorological agency saidFlood warnings for parts of Broward County and other parts of South Florida were expected to last until noon.
The rest of South Florida remains under flood watch through Thursday night, indicating a low level of risk. Fort Lauderdale city facilities not reopen until friday.
Located in Broward County on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the city is one of the largest cities in the state. A daily rainfall record of 14.59 inches occurred on April 25, 1979.
Grayson and his three family members left their home in nearby Miami-Dade County about five hours before their 8:45 p.m. flight, he said. They all work in the family business and were on their way to Las Vegas for a conference.
Grayson said the drive took an hour, three times longer than usual, in the torrential rain. On the way, she saw water running off the flooded runway and the car being flooded.
By the time they arrive at the airport, the airport is closed, several parking lots are flooded, airport staff and Uber drivers are evacuated to the spot, and a dazed aviation, wondering how to get home. I was joining the ranks of the company’s passengers.
“We weren’t even sure how we got out of there because the weather was so bad,” Grayson said by phone early Thursday morning. “But we did. It was very scary to go home after that.”
Late Wednesday night, her seven-hour ordeal ended where it began: at home. Her mother and her sister were able to rebook flights from Miami to Las Vegas, but she and her husband were unable to rebook, so they canceled her trip.
That might just be a good thing, because floodwaters are seeping under the large door of a workplace in Miami-Dade County’s warehouse district and needs someone to clean it out.
“They’re gone and we’ll be back at work tomorrow,” she said with a laugh.
Christine Hauser and Judson Jones contributed to the report.
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