The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was placed under a state of emergency for flash flooding on Wednesday.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – A tropical disturbance capable of producing 4 to 6 inches of precipitation per hour caused significant flooding Wednesday around the Broward and Miami-Dade communities, which included the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The airport was flooded during torrential rains, making the taxiways and roads around the terminals look like lakes rather than any type of transportation hub.
Wednesday’s event was not as dramatic as what the airport experienced during the historic 2023 rainstorm, but it still caused flooding at entrances and exits and led to the cancellation of dozens of thefts.
Passenger Rich Basen was one of many travelers stranded during the latest torrential downpour and decided to capture video and photos of the scene from the terminal.
Basen’s images showed vehicles driving through waters that National Weather Service meteorologists had warned were too high to navigate.
On the tarmac, air traffic slowed to a halt as the storms were simply too much for the systems to handle.
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The Federal Aviation Administration reported that incoming flights were facing delays of up to 7 hours, prompting some airlines to cancel flights altogether.
FlightAware data showed hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled, with other South Florida airports also reporting significant impacts.
The first wave of delays and cancellations fell short of FLL’s multi-day shutdown in 2023, which resulted in more than 1,000 flights being impacted.
After last year’s debacle, city officials unveiled a $500 million plan to protect neighborhoods from flooding, in addition to a $200 million project already underway. It’s unclear whether any of the newly proposed infrastructure played a role in Wednesday’s flooding, but the airport certainly did not experience the same massive flooding as in previous incidents.
An official weather monitoring site reported that the city received nearly a foot of rain on Wednesday, with more to come.
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In the hours after issuing a flash flood emergency for Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis worked to declare a state of emergency due to floods.
Unlike some past events, flood relief vehicles were strategically positioned throughout the city. However, intense rain combined with rush hour traffic made for several chaotic hours for those venturing outside.
A flash flood watch is in effect until Thursday evening for much of the southern peninsula. Forecast models show some areas could receive at least 6 inches of additional precipitation.
Dozens of vehicles were stranded by floodwaters in Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Wednesday.
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News Source : www.foxweather.com
