South Floridians are bracing for more oppressive rain on Thursday that has battered the region for the past two days — leading to widespread flash flooding and closures, according to forecasters.
Early weather models indicate that Miami-Dade and Broward counties may see another round of heavy showers that will bring at least an additional 2 to 3 inches of rainfall, said George Rizzuto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Miami Office.
“The general feeling is that it could be about the same as what we saw [Wednesday]Rizzuto said.
Rain will increase late morning and continue into the evening. From 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., both provinces have an 80% to 90% chance of rain.
The areas expected to be hardest hit are those that have already experienced severe flash flooding: south Broward, north Miami-Dade and busy urban areas.
“Unfortunately, these are the areas that have been hit the hardest,” Rizzuto said. “It could be a bit risky, the worst hit areas will be hit again.”
READ MORE: ‘We are prepared for the worst’: South Floridians endure ‘rare’ flash flood
The same regions are currently under a flood warning and watch. The warning ends at 8 a.m. Thursday; the watch lasts until Friday evening.
Regarding flash flood warnings or some other rare emergency, Rizzuto said it wouldn’t take much for a warning to be issued given the amount of water still on the ground.
“It won’t take much rainfall to justify a flash flood,” he said.
Wednesday’s official rain total has not been tallied. However, the weather service reported that between 5 and 13 inches of rain fell in both counties late Wednesday.
Florida, Miami-Dade County, Broward County and several cities – namely Miami and Fort Lauderdale – have already declared states of emergency, which are intended to aid recovery efforts but will also help if weather conditions remain severe.
READ MORE: Rainfall shuts down Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Trains, buses and planes stopped
If South Florida experiences another dangerous flood, residents are in for another round of closures.
Hundreds of flights were canceled at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Tri-Rail and Brightline stopped some of their services.
Universities canceled classes and closed some campuses. Some roads were impassable and part of Interstate 95 was completely closed for hours.
READ MORE: Heavy rain and flooding closes I-95 near Fort Lauderdale airport
In Normandy Isle, a neighborhood of Miami Beach, Simon Suarez attempted to drive his Mini Cooper along the low-lying South Shore Drive, which was flooded. About 500 feet from his apartment, the car broke down in nearly waist-high water.
Hours later, when his wife tried to start the car, water poured from the exhaust pipe. From 11 p.m. they camped in the car at the water’s edge, waiting for the flooding to subside.
“I had to get out through the sunroof,” said Suarez, 48. “My neighbor helped me push him out of the water.”
Miami Herald reporter Joey Flechas contributed to the report.
