Southeast Florida swamped by more than 64cm of rain

Torrential downpours inundated southeast Florida yesterday, bringing total rainfall in the Fort Lauderdale region to more than 2’ in recent days, with widespread flooding that blocked roads, closed schools and shut down an airport.
Preliminary reports showed that about 25” (64cm) of rain had fallen in Fort Lauderdale, making it a 1 in a 1,000-year weather event, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
That was almost twice the amount of water that set the previous record in 1979.
“It’s extremely rare. That is an astronomical amount of rainfall,” Miami NWS meteorologist Shawn Bhatti said.
Some 2mn people in Broward County were under a flood warning as relentless rain drenched the area.
Parts of Florida’s Atlantic Coast north of Miami have already seen 20” (51cm) of rain over the last several days, the NWS said.
No injuries or deaths have been reported.
Video footage on social media showed sheets of rain pounding the area as flood waters reached the tops of cars, and people wading through waters.
In one video, a person swam in waters that had flooded a roadway.
“This thing has been parked for hours,” meteorologist Alex Lamers said on Twitter on Wednesday night, referring to the storm system pumping rain into the region. “Like putting a faucet right over Fort Lauderdale, turning it on, and walking away.”
Emergency management crews answered rescue calls overnight, the city of Fort Lauderdale said on its website early yesterday, noting that there were flood conditions throughout the area.
The growing frequency and intensity of such storms amid bouts of prolonged drought across the nation are symptomatic of human-driven climate change, experts say.
Runways were flooded at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Authorities had hoped to reopen it yesterday, but said a further delay until today was needed to remove all the water and debris from the runways.
Nearly 400 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled, according to the Flightaware tracking site.
“This is pure stupidity,” a tourist named Rob Gourley told the Sun Sentinel newspaper.
He was angry because his flight to the Bahamas for him and his wife was scrapped because of the storm in Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s the first time out in five years because of (the coronavirus pandemic) and everything. We’re ready to just drive home and forget it,” said Gourley, who lives in Sarasota, on Florida’s Gulf coast.
The heavy rains and flooding also forced Broward County Public Schools, serving some 250,000 students, to cancel classes.