South Florida extreme weather causes flooding, school closings, power outages

Schools are closed in Broward. Tens of thousands lost power. Trees toppled cars, boats were ripped from their docks and forecasters said Thursday morning the extreme weather that has pummeled South Florida since Tuesday night will continue over the next day or so.

A flood watch for the coastal and metro areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties remains in effect through Thursday afternoon, the National Weather service in Miami said. And several inches of additional rain are expected on the east coast as a disturbance hovers over the area.

Between 4 to 8 inches of rain fell over most parts of the region in 24 hours with up to 15 inches across portions of the Everglades and far south Miami-Dade, the weather agency said early Thursday morning. Bracing for more rain and potential flooding, Broward County Public Schools announced class cancellations, which include any extracurricular activities before and after school.

“To ensure the safety of students and staff, all District schools and administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, November 16, 2023,” the district said. “BCPS thanks all its employees, especially our maintenance and facilities personnel, who will be canvassing schools to assess if any campuses experience water intrusions or other damages.”

Broward College, which canceled classes Wednesday afternoon, will remain closed Thursday. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the district wrote on X, formerly Twitter, will remain open Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Fort Lauderdale saw flooded roadways and stalled cars, as flash flood warnings encircled the region. Dozens of crashes were reported on Broward’s slick roads and highways, as water amassed on the roadways.

What else should South Floridians expect? Here’s the latest update:

POWER OUTAGES PLAGUE SOUTH FLORIDA

Tens of thousands of clients have lost power across South Florida, FPL’s outage map reported Thursday morning.

“We are currently working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power to customers following severe weather that impacted parts of South Florida, FPL said Thursday morning on X. “Please be patient, stay safe and away from FPL equipment.”

Here’s the breakdown by county of power outages, as of Thursday morning:

Miami-Dade: 61,393

Broward: 24,929

Palm Beach: 27,216

If you see a downed power line, call 1-800-4-OUTAGE.

HOW MUCH MORE WILL IT RAIN?

An additional 2 to 4 inches of rainfall is possible through Thursday afternoon, with some areas expected to get as much as 5 inches, the National Weather service said

WHEN WILL THE RAIN DECREASE?

Rain should begin to diminish by mid-Thursday morning, with chances for rain dropping significantly by the middle of the afternoon.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEATHER?

Here’s what else you need to know:

Winds: A high wind warning is in effect for the coast of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for easterly winds of 25 to 40 mph with possible gusts up to 60 mph through late Thursday afternoon.

Small boats: A small craft advisory is in effect for Gulf waters for winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt possible through late Thursday morning.

Rip currents: A rip current statement for a high risk of rip currents is in effect for all Atlantic beaches. Dangerous surf conditions are expected today along the Atlantic beaches.

High surf: A high surf advisory is in effect for Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties for possible 6 to 10-foot waves.

Coastal flooding: Minor coastal flooding is expected around periods of high tide through the remainder of the week for vulnerable Atlantic coast locations.

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