• cA storm brought torrential rains to South Florida 
• Multiple videos on Twitter have gone viral as they show the impact of the storm
• For Lauderdale airport was closed due to the flooding and intense weather conditions

Florida is no stranger to torrential rainfall and flooding, but what transpired in approximately 12 hours on April 12 is short of unprecedented and historic.

The nearly 26 inches of rain that fell in Fort Lauderdale in 24 hours would set a new state record. The previous record of nearly 24 inches was set in Key West in 1980.

Storms, Flooding Severely Impact South Florida

The fact that the event in Fort Lauderdale did not originate from a tropical system makes it even more unprecedented.

A large non-tropical low meandering along the northern Gulf Coast assisted in transporting tropical rainfall from the southwestern Atlantic and Caribbean to South Florida. The first surge of torrential rain moved through southeast Florida early in the afternoon.

The second surge of heavy rain was caused by an isolated supercell thunderstorm that formed in the early afternoon and remained virtually stationary for hours, dumping heavy rain over the same regions. The storm ultimately dissipates until approximately 11 p.m. While records are measured over 24 hours, most of the nearly 26 inches of rainwater fell in less than 12 hours, as per Click Orlando.

Photos and videos of rain over Florida's coastal regions show a major airport forced to close, flooded structures, inundated highways, and underwater parking lots.

The state of Florida is spending billions on highway expansions while the state continually floods. It’s not too late to reverse course. pic.twitter.com/Cc6eprofNd

— Hayden Clarkin (@the_transit_guy) April 13, 2023

 

Ft Lauderdale, Florida floods pic.twitter.com/TvCawVK0KX

— T Rex (@trex554) April 13, 2023

Fort Lauderdale's airport reopened Friday morning, two days after an unprecedented and severe flood left planes and travelers stranded, as residents in the city's hardest hit neighborhoods began the slow process of cleaning up the mess left behind. https://t.co/4AgB2uE9CN

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 14, 2023

 

Ana Torres-Vasquez, a meteorologist with the weather service, stated that the rain in the Fort Lauderdale area was a "1-in-a-thousand-year event or greater," which means the probability of it occurring in any given year is less than 1%.

AccuWeather reported that Fort Lauderdale received 25.95 inches of precipitation over the previous two days, while Dania Beach recorded 21.42 inches. In some locations, 20 inches of precipitation fell in six hours. At least 9 inches of rain fell upon Hollywood and South Miami.

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Florida Storm Causes Flight Delays, Cancelations

Two days after an unprecedented deluge stranded aircraft and travelers, Fort Lauderdale's airport reopened, and residents in the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods began the sluggish process of cleaning up the damage.

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was closed Wednesday evening due to a typhoon that dropped more than 2 feet of rain. Airport officials resumed operations at 9 a.m. on Friday after completing final inspections after sunrise. By the afternoon, airport operations were gradually returning to normal, but some commuters were still affected by the nearly two-day closure.

While it began to rain in South Florida on Monday, most precipitation fell on Wednesday. The Fort Lauderdale area experienced record rainfall in hours, ranging from 15 to 26 inches.

As residents attempted to clean up on Friday morning in Fort Lauderdale's Edgewood neighborhood, the water level had receded approximately one foot since Thursday. However, it was still up to two feet deep in some areas. There were no reports of injuries or deaths immediately, as per CBS News.

Related Article: Fort Lauderdale Now Under State of Emergency 

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