Thunderstorms in southeastern Florida dumped 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Fort Lauderdale area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, trapping motorists in floodwaters and leaving travelers stranded inside a major airport that had been shut down.
Storms are a way of life in South Florida. But the rain was so heavy that the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport closed. There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or significant damage as night fell.
The Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for the Fort Lauderdale area on Wednesday night. Those are reserved for extremely rare situations after heavy rain that lead to torrents of water that pose a severe threat to human life and can cause catastrophic damage. The emergency was scheduled to last until 2 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday.
A flash flood warning — indicating a lower level of concern — was in effect early Thursday for other areas of central Broward County. Fort Lauderdale, which lies in central Broward on the Atlantic coast, is one of Florida’s largest cities.
Footage earlier on Wednesday showed heavy flooding in Fort Lauderdale, and Stephen Gollan, the city’s fire chief, said that cars were getting stuck in floodwaters.
“We understand that it’s rush hour traffic,” Chief Gollan said in a video that was posted on Twitter, as he stood in the middle of a flooded street. “However, now is not the time to be on the roadways.”
At the Fort Lauderdale airport, officials advised people on Wednesday night not to try to enter or leave the facility until the weather improved. The airport was expected to remain closed until at least noon on Thursday.
