MIAMI – Torrential rains lashed South Florida on Wednesday as authorities warned residents to avoid “life-threatening floods“in some of the most populous regions of the state.
The National Weather Service in Miami urged residents to stay home, off the roads and away from dangerous moving water.
Flood warnings for parts of four South Florida counties, including Miami-Dade, will continue until 8 a.m. Thursday.
The rain is complicating air travel in and out of the region. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport told would-be travelers that its entrances and exits were flooded.
As of Wednesday night, 284 flights to or from that airport were canceled. At Miami International Airport, the number of cancellations was 326, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
“It started at 9:30, it was postponed to 12:30, it was postponed to 3:30, it was postponed to 6:30. I’m going to miss all my connecting flights and I’m stuck here with a foot of rain falling,” said one traveler NBC South Florida.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed part southbound Interstate 95 in Broward County on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
First responders in Hollywood, near Fort Lauderdale, rushed to stranded drivers late Wednesday afternoon.
“We are receiving calls from some people who are trapped in vehicles that have driven on flooded roads,” said city spokeswoman Joann Hussey. NBC South Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis declared an emergency in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties. A declaration allows state aid. The cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood also issued emergency declarations.
Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management told the residents there: “Do not drive unless absolutely necessary and seek higher ground if necessary.” The agency said if the vehicles stop, people inside them should leave them immediately to avoid being swept away with them.
Fort Lauderdale received more than a foot of rain Wednesday night, with 12.83 inches. Miami had 9.82 inches and Hollywood a little over 10 inches. Pompano Beach got 9.62 inches and Fort Myers received just over 8 inches.
Hours of continuous rain have rendered the pumps almost useless because the equipment has nowhere to send the excess water.
“There’s so much water that the pumps really don’t have many places for it [the water] go right now,” Hussey said.
The rains of early June follow the hottest May on record in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples.
A record 8 inches of rain hit the west coast of Florida in just three hours on Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s rain was so rare between 5pm and 8pm in Sarasota that it should only be expected every 500 to 1,000 years. The Tampa Bay area can typically expect 7.3 inches in the entire month of June.
Robert Wile and Brian Hamacher reported from Miami, David K. Li from New York and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.
patrick smith, Antonio Cusumano, Nicole Duarte It is Brian Van Aken contributed.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
