South Florida saw flooding rain overnight, with more wet weather expected Saturday due to a poorly organized disturbance that is just off the state’s west coast.
A flash flood warning is in effect until at least noon for parts of Miami-Dade and Broward, including Miami, Key Biscayne, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Aventura and Miami Gardens. South Florida also remains under a flood watch and tropical storm warning. The tropical storm warning on Saturday morning was discontinued for the west coast of Florida north of Bonita Beach.
The National Weather Service in Miami has received reports in the past 24 hours of areas across Miami-Dade seeing more than six inches of rain, with some areas seeing up to 11 inches. TV news showed some areas of Brickell so flooded, cars were stuck Saturday morning.
WATCH: See videos of the flooding streets and sinking cars in South Florida
The National Hurricane Center expects the region will see even more rain Saturday, with a total of six to 10 inches of rain, with some isolated areas seeing up to 15 inches of rain.
“It just goes to show, you don’t need a name for it to have big impacts,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez.
Will the disturbance turn into Tropical Storm Alex?
Forecasters say the system is unlikely to strengthen into a tropical storm before reaching Florida’s west coast. The track now shows it crossing through southern or central Florida and possibly turning into Tropical Storm Alex off the state’s east coast by Saturday night as it moves into the Atlantic.
The National Hurricane Center said its because the system has continued to deteriorate overnight and still has no well-defined center.
“In other words, the system has gone the wrongway in becoming a tropical cyclone,” the hurricane center said in its Saturday morning discussion. However, because South Florida is on the wetter side of the system, also known as the “dirty” side, it means the region will still get the worst weather as it crosses the state.
The system was about 45 miles south-southwest of Fort Myers and about 160 miles southwest of Vero Beach with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with higher gusts, mainly squalls according to the hurricane center’s 8 am advisory Saturday.
Its tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 275 miles to the east of its center. In the past few hours, a weather station at Government Cut, which is between Miami Beach and Fisher’s Island, reported sustained winds of 40 mph, with wind gusts of 53 mph, according to the hurricane center.
What type of weather will the system cause in South Florida?
The National Hurricane Center expects South Florida will see a total of six to 10 inches of rain, with some isolated areas seeing up to 15 inches of rain. The Keys are expected to see a total of four to eight inches of rain, with some isolated areas seeing up to 10 inches, according to the hurricane center. Flooding, including flash floods, continues to remain possible.
LIVE UPDATES: Here’s what’s going on with the tropical weather from Miami to the Keys
Forecasters expect tropical storm conditions, especially squalls, will begin in South Florida Saturday with a couple of possible tornadoes through the early afternoon.
The Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas and Card Sound Bridge to North Miami Beach, including Biscayne Bay, could also see one to two feet of storm surge if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.
How much rain has Miami-Dade and Broward seen so far?
In the past 24 hours, South Miami area has seen about 11.5 inches of rain, with the area near Coral Gables seeing 9 to 9.73 inches of rain, the weather service said Saturday morning. In the area of University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Key Biscayne, about 4.05 inches of rain were reported.
In Broward County, Lauderdale By The Sea saw about 6.33 inches and Plantation saw about 5.51 inches in the past 24 hours.
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published June 4, 2022 8:13 AM.
There’s never a dull moment in Florida—and Michelle covers it as a Real Time/Breaking News Reporter for the Miami Herald. She graduated with honors from Florida International University, where she served as the editor-in-chief of Student Media PantherNOW. Previously, she worked as a news writer at WSVN Channel 7 and was a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.
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