Florida prepares for a fourth day of floods as torrential rains created waterways out of roads, leaving motorists trapped.
Despite the tropical moisture fueling downpours beginning to shift away from the region, Friday anticipates another wet day for South Florida. Multiple cities expect rainfall exceeding 2 feet from Tuesday until Friday.
The National Weather Service stated, "Heavy to excessive rainfall will continue to bring flooding, with locally considerable flash and urban flooding possible, through Friday over the southern Florida Peninsula."
Flooding waters have reached waist-deep in some localities, leading to hazardous conditions on streets and roads, stranding drivers, and making certain areas inaccessible. Consequently, several schools in flood-hit areas have been closed down, and numerous flights have been delayed or canceled.
Gulf moisture persists in South Florida, prompting the Weather Prediction Center to issue a level 2 out of 4 flood threat for the region through Friday – lower in severity than the high-risk status of excessive rainfall witnessed on Thursday.
Flood warnings are in effect for over 7 million individuals in South Florida, including in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, extending till Friday night. Rainfalls between 2 to 4 inches or more are predicted during this period. However, thunderstorms may diminish by the weekend.
In response to the incoming downpours, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Sarasota counties. Officials advise residents to stay indoors, avoiding walking or driving through the floodwater, as it covers streets and enters numerous homes. Various cities have pledged to provide sandbags to local residents to combat the rising nonstop downpours.
South Florida witnessed several rounds of torrential downpours on Thursday, fueled by a "firehose" of tropical moisture from the Caribbean. Areas north of the Miami metro displayed extensive flooding.
Continued rainfall could result in additional urban flooding until Friday in South Florida, according to the National Weather Service. For the rest of the state, flash and urban flooding remain probable until Saturday.
South Florida residents experience a repeated cycle of flooding
Following weeks of heavy rainfall engulfing South Florida since Tuesday morning, videos on social media affirmed water levels reaching vehicles' windows and swamping parking decks and residential streets.
Many South Florida residents had recently fixed their homes after catastrophic floods in April 2023, unfortunately finding themselves dealing with more inundations this week.
Social media footage from Miami showcased stranded cars submerged nearly entirely in water. A Miami family's yard appeared like a 'lake,' with belongings floating in the standing water.
"I'm scared," said 11-year-old Somaya Ferdinand, quoted by WSVN as she waded through water waist-high outside their home in Northeast Miami-Dade. "It looked like a swimming pool."
In Hallandale Beach, just north of Miami, a man was spotted kayaking among impassable vehicles as the city was partially flooded. Broward County Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane noted that some mobile home parks were underwater.
This resulted in cars being covered up to their windshields in Hallandale Beach on Wednesday, causing some drivers to abandon their stalled-out vehicles and wade to safety. Rescuers saved others.
"We had to use our boats to rescue people standing on top of the roofs of cars," Kane told CNN. Kane's office received a hefty 175 rescue requests in Hallandale Beach alone.
Anna Rysedorph, a resident of the Broward County neighborhood of Edgewood, prepared for the worst as water inched towards her ankles in her home.
"I put the dogs in, I'm all packed up. I pretty much got everything in bins and we're ready to go," Edgewood resident Anna Rysedorph told CNN affiliate WSVN on Wednesday. "My husband's like 'Don't panic, don't panic,' but you know, I'm not gonna be caught unprepared."
Storms to influence High Plains, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic on Friday
Whilst Florida combats the water surplus, another weather system is expected to produce a severe thunderstorm hazard with large hail and powerful winds in the Northern and Central High Plains and parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Friday.
The National Weather Service has forecasted thunderstorms from Friday afternoon through the evening over the High Plains.
Two regions are under a mild level 2 out of 5 severe thunderstorm risk in the Central High Plains and from the Mid-Atlantic to southern New England. The threat in the High Plains spans parts of eastern Colorado, southern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas, while the northeast threat covers from northern Virginia to southern New Hampshire.
With a level 1 out of 5 severe storm risk, New York City, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston are also included.
On Friday afternoon until the evening, severe storms with large hail and strong winds will be possible across the Front Range towards the Central Plains.
"Scattered severe storms with large hail and wind gusts of 60-80 mph will be possible from mid-afternoon through the evening on Friday along the Front Range to the central Great Plains," the Storm Prediction Center affirmed. "Scattered intense storms with sporadic destructive winds and occasional hail are likely across the Northeast States during the afternoon to early evening."
This article was compiled by paraphrasing an excerpt from a news article dated July 22, 2022: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/22/weather/southern-florida-flooding-science-briefs/index.html
Forecasts indicate that thunderstorms will burst to life over western Pennsylvania during mid-afternoon on Friday. These storms are expected to extend their reach into regions of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coast by nightfall.
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Despite the National Weather Service predicting a potential decrease in heavy rainfall by Friday, South Florida residents should remain vigilant as they continue experiencing a repeated cycle of flooding. The flood warnings, initially issued for over 7 million individuals, are still in effect and rainfalls between 2 to 4 inches or more are predicted to continue until Friday night.
