4/13/23 - Major Flooding In Southern Florida

Fort Lauderdale activates its emergency operations center.

FORT LAUDERDALE - More rain is in the forecast today as parts of southern Florida were hit with major storms and flooding yesterday.

Broward County specifically is under a flood warning.

They may not get the downpour they received yesterday but storms could bring gusty winds, small hail and isolated tornadoes today. 

The National Weather Service reports that between 14 and 20 inches of rain drenched the greater Fort Lauderdale metro area since Wednesday afternoon.  That amount is extremely rare for South Florida.

A flash flood emergency -- the highest level of flood warning -- was in effect for portions of South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale.

The ground was already saturated so there has been extensive flooding and a number of vehicles were abandoned in roadways. The airport was also closed. There also are a number of power outages.
Fort Lauderdale officials have activated its emergency operations center and will be issuing a proclamation of a local state of emergency.

Officials have asked residents to avoid driving or traveling in Fort Lauderdale amid the storms.