Parts of Florida inundated by a foot of rain, damaging winds
“Exceptional” downpours and gusty winds led to travel disruptions, power outages and school closures. The rain and windstorm responsible pushed one international airport closer toward its record annual rainfall with just six weeks to go in 2023.
Days of pouring rain led to widespread flash floods in cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale from Nov. 15-16.
A strengthening wind and rainstorm targeted South Florida from late Tuesday through Thursday night, creating dangerous conditions for motorists, closing the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and leaving some streets and highways under water and some neighborhoods without power. Both winds and rain exceeded typical tropical storm strength.
As AccuWeather meteorologists warned, a storm from the Gulf of Mexico reorganized and drew upon moisture from the Gulf, the Caribbean and the Atlantic. The moisture converged on the southeastern part of the Florida Peninsula, causing downpours to escalate.
From late Tuesday to early Thursday, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport was inundated by 12.47 inches of rain, with 10.26 inches of rain pouring down on Hollywood, Florida, and 7-10 inches of rain drenching the Miami area.
Multiple vehicles were stranded due to high water from Miami Beach to Pompano Beach, Florida, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Over a foot of rain fell at amateur rain gauges in Oakland Park, Pine Island, Fort Lauderdale and Key Largo, which picked up 13.80 inches.
With about six weeks to go until the end of the year, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is likely to have its wettest year on record. As of Thursday morning, the international airport has received 101.66 inches of rain, second only to 102.36 inches, which fell there in 1947.
Thursday evening, the rain was focused on the east central coast of the state, with over 10 inches falling from east of Orlando down to Sebastian.
As the moisture came together, the strengthening storm also began to pack gusty winds.
Wind gusts of 50-60 mph were common from the northern part of the keys to the southeastern part of the peninsula from late Wednesday to Wednesday night. Top wind gusts included 86 mph at North Key Largo and 75 mph at Miami Beach and Dania Beach.
More than 100,000 utility customers were without power early Thursday morning in southeastern Florida, with more than 60,000 in the dark in Miami-Dade County alone, according to PowerOutage.us. Outages had dropped to fewer than 10,000 by 12 p.m. EST Friday.
Leslie Hudson, who was reporting for AccuWeather on Thursday morning, said trees were downed along with other wind damage across parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, leading to traffic headaches on Thursday morning. Schools were open in Miami-Dade, but there were closures in Broward County.
Vacationers who spoke with Hudson told her they were caught off guard by how wet and windy it was all day on Wednesday.
"We were told that this is exceptional” due to the long-lasting rainfall in Miami, Astri Land, a visitor from Norway, told Hudson, adding that she hunkered down in the hotel due to the "incredibly wet” conditions Wednesday.
Floridians are cleaning up after a massive soaking rain that packed a punch and set records. AccuWeather correspondent Leslie Hudson is in Miami Beach, Florida, and has the latest.
The strengthening storm had an impressive swirling signature on satellite and radar on Thursday morning as it spun over the warm waters of the Florida Straits. AccuWeather forecasters said it was a separate feature from a tropical rainstorm that once roamed the Caribbean.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
