South Florida weather conditions improve after downpours, but flood watch remains
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A double rainbow over Miami Beach. Photo: Sommer Brugal/Axios
Just when it seemed that the rain would never relent, Mother Nature gave South Florida a glimmer of hope Thursday as a double rainbow stretched across the evening sky.
- Residents ventured outside as dark clouds gave way to a beautiful sunset, their photos and videos filling up social media feeds and group chats.
Yes, but: A difficult recovery awaits for many after nearly two days of dangerous and damaging flooding.
State of play: And the respite many enjoyed Thursday evening may be short lived. Friday's forecast calls for more rain even as some areas of Miami-Dade and Broward County remain inundated.
- South Florida remains under a flood watch through 8pm Friday.
Catch up fast: Nearly 20 inches of rain fell in multiple cities on Tuesday and Wednesday, including North Miami, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood.
- Wednesday's torrential downpours forced Miami and Fort Lauderdale's international airports to cancel 623 flights and delay nearly as many, according to Flight Aware.
Zoom in: By Thursday morning and through the early afternoon, pockets of flooding remained in areas like Golden Glades and Hallandale Beach, and dozens of cars across South Florida were left stranded.
- One tow truck driver in North Beach told Axios they'd been working nonstop to clear cars from the streets.
Vincente Lopez, a Hallandale Beach resident, told Axios flood waters entered his home and seeped into his Audi. Four other cars were left stranded on his street across from Hallandale Beach City Hall, making it nearly impassable.
- His Audi had water damage inside and scratches and dents outside because the water lifted it up and it collided with other parked cars.
- As he dried out his car, Lopez criticized the city for not sending work crews to help stranded drivers, clean storm drains or pump water out of the street.
In North Beach, about half a dozen residents sat in a parking lot off Normandy Drive with the hood of their cars propped up to assess water damage.
- "It turned on this morning with jumper cables, but the electric is all messed up," Normandy Isles resident Sonia Rodriguez told Axios of her Mini Cooper. "The water came up to the middle of the car."
- Water also entered the ground floor of her apartment building the night before, she said.
Bottom line: "I'll miss my car, but on the other hand, far worse things can happen," said Edward Abraham, a Miami-based doctor whose BMW was towed out of floodwaters on Wednesday.