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Travelers were warned not to attempt to enter or leave the airport. Access was another issue: The airport's roadways were shut down by flooding. Friday because of debris and massive flooding. The storms prompted Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport to suspend all flights Wednesday afternoon and won't reopen until 5 a.m. WHAT IS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OR WARNING? Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard Fort Lauderdale airport shut down until Friday after 'unprecedented rainfall' A few brief tornadoes were possible, forecasters said. Scattered thunderstorms were expected to continue into Thursday evening, some severe in nature with damaging winds and hail up to the size of quarters. Heavy rain was possible late Thursday, the weather service said, especially over the metro areas of Broward and Miami Dade counties, which could lead to flooding across areas that are already saturated from recent heavy rainfall. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Fort Lauderdale and other areas into Thursday as the chance of thunderstorms continued across the region, warning: “This is a life-threatening situation. The one-day rain total in Fort Lauderdale is equal to almost 40% of the average for an entire year, DePodwin said. ►The Red Cross was setting up a staging area to help residents whose homes were flooded, providing them with blankets and coffee, officials said.įort Lauderdale flooding, rain are 'life threatening' tornadoes possible ►Video from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport showed water coming in the door at a terminal and a virtual river rushing down the tarmac between planes.
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►Part of the roof of a shopping plaza in Fort Lauderdale collapsed, according to WPLG, which showed images of a huge hole in what the TV station said was previously a Bealls Outlet department store. HISTORIC STORM FORECAST: First April tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico? Latest forecast says history unlikely. "There are cars getting stuck in flooded waters, just (adding) to the emergencies that are taking place." "Stay off the roads until some of this water dissipates," Gollan warned. Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Stephen Gollan warned of "severe flooding in multiple areas" of the city of 180,000 residents. Sections of I-95, the state's main north-south traffic artery, were overwhelmed by water for several hours. WATER EVERYWHERE: Photos show water-logged Fort Lauderdale airport, flooded Florida streets amid huge rain storm Work crews cleared drains and pumped out standing water Thursday after the previous day's deluge.Ī flood watch was in effect across much of South Florida through Thursday night, the National Weather Service said. "The amount of rain, the rainfall rate is something you should see once in in every 1,000 years or once in every 2,000 years," Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather's director of forecast operations, told USA TODAY.ĪccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said at one point Fort Lauderdale got about 1 1/2 inches of rain in 10 minutes, "close to the United States’ all-time record for rain in that short period of time.”īoth Fort Lauderdale and its home county of Broward issued a state of emergency as flooding forced residents in some areas to wade through knee-high water or use canoes and kayaks to navigate the streets. Some areas received 20 inches of rain in six hours. Hollywood and South Miami received at least 9 inches of rain. South Florida was under siege and under water Thursday amid a storm that dumped 25 inches of rain over some coastal areas, flooding homes and highways and forcing the shutdown of a major airport.įort Lauderdale was slammed with 25.95 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, AccuWeather reported. Learn about the habitat restoration assessment, design, and techniques that have been successfully utilized over the past four decades to restore coastal ecosystems in Tampa Bay.Watch Video: Fort Lauderdale airport closes after rain dumps down on Florida city What areas in Tampa Bay are best suited for oyster reef restoration? This analysis uses modeling and multiple criteria to answer that question. Learn how TBEP and its partners measure seagrass abundance and health, and about the current state of seagrass in Tampa Bay.
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