A slow-moving storm system infused with deep tropical moisture over South Florida will bring more heavy rain and thunderstorms Thursday — a day after floodwaters turned streets into rivers and prompted hundreds of flight delays and cancellations. More than a foot of rain was recorded in several areas.
Seven million people remained under flood watches Thursday across South Florida for what was forecast to be a third day of intense deluge.
“Even a short duration of heavy rain can lead to more flash flooding!” the National Weather Service office in Miami warned about X.
On Thursday morning, flood warnings expired in parts of South Florida, but residual flooding continues and several roads remain closed in hard-hit areas. The forecast is for heavy rain during the afternoon and evening
O National Weather Service Weather Forecast Center issued a moderate risk of excessive rainfall through Friday morning.
The heavy rain will create “numerous areas of flash flooding,” the weather service said. “Additionally, many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers.”
The Miami metro area has virtually zero tolerance for more rain. Flash flooding guidance reveals it will take less than 0.25 inches of rain in just one hour to cause flash flooding in parts of the metropolitan area.
Wednesday’s rain caused Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare an emergency in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties, allowing state aid. The cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood also issued emergency declarations.
Cars were stuck on flooded roads, houses full of waterlocal residents were urged to stay in their homes, local airports experienced hundreds of delays and cancellations, and part of Interstate 95 in Broward County was closed to traffic so water could be drained.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday afternoon that a flood warning remains in the county until Friday evening, and the hardest hit areas yesterday were Aventura, Surfside, Belle Harbor and parts of North Dade.
Emergency fire services helped evacuate 34 people resulting from 16 calls – three of these calls were to homes and 13 to stranded vehicles.
There are no mandatory evacuations and no shelters are open on Thursday. So far, all major roads are clear and open and drinking water is safe to drink, she said.
She urged residents to stay at home and off the roads to avoid being swept away by floodwaters.
Aventura city police said that more than 300 vehicles were towed off roads and elderly people were rescued on Wednesday from stuck vehicles.
Fort Lauderdale recorded 9.54 inches of rain in 24 hours, with Wednesday marking the wettest June day on record and the third wettest day on record.
Overall, at least six weather stations from Miami to Fort Lauderdale recorded more than 10 inches of rain — the highest being 13.96 inches over Hialeah and 12.67 inches over the Hollywood/Hallandale Beach area. Most of the 10 to 12 inches of rain totals occurred in just a five to six hour period on Wednesday.
When combining Tuesday’s rainfall, some locations in South Florida recorded more than 20 inches of rain in just two days.
The more than a foot of rain that fell in just six hours over the Everglades met the criteria for a 1-in-1,000-year event – the second in just two days.
On Friday, the threat of excessive rainfall will decrease slightly in extreme south Florida, and a slight risk of excessive rainfall exists in south Florida from Friday into Saturday morning.
By Saturday morning, an additional 5 to 10 inches of rain will be possible, including in the Naples, Fort Myers, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach metro areas.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
