South Florida has been deluged by a once-in-a-millennium downpour bringing mass flooding and triggering travel misery.
Parts of the Sunshine State were drenched by up to ten inches of rain on Tuesday, as more than a month's rainfall fell in a single night.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale were among the worst hit, but many counties remain under flash flood alerts.
Forecasters are still warning motorists to avoid I-75, where four inches of rain had fallen in a single hour on Wednesday.
Flights were also disrupted, with more than 120 journeyscancelled or delayed due to the record-breaking rain between midday on Tuesday and this afternoon, according to Flight Aware.
South Florida has been deluged by a once-in-a-millennium downpour bringing mass flooding and triggering travel misery. Pictured:Stalled vehicles sit in a flooded street on June 12, 2024 in Aventura, Florida
Video on social media showed submerged vehicles struggling to make it across flooded roads in Sarasota, while stalled vehicles sat in soaked streets in Aventura.
There were similar scenes in Miami, where a heavy storm system was seen hanging above the skies before the torrent fell.
'Significant rainfall has fallen in a short period of time, likely leading to impassable roadways over metropolitan portions of Miami-Dade County, specifically near Downtown Miami and surrounding neighborhoods,' The National Weather Service Wrote.
'Remember never to attempt to drive through flooded roadways.'
The Tampa Bay area was hit by eight inches of rain in three hours, a meteorological event so rare it is only expected once every 500 to 1,000 years.
Numerous roads were flooded and impassable for vehicles, including a section of major artery Interstate 95 in Broward County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said southbound traffic was being diverted around the flooded section.
This closure will remain until further notice and water drains from the interstate. Contractors are en route to pump the drainage system,' FHP said in an email.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale were among the worst hit, but many counties remain under flash flood alerts
Laura Collinhofer holds an umbrella after moving her cars to higher ground as heavy rain falls over parts of South Florida on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Hollywood, Fl
Forecasters are warning motorists to avoid the I-75 on Wednesday, where four inches of rain had fallen in a single hour
Floridians are being urged to exercise caution, as there is no sign of the rain letting up anytime soon.
'Rainfall rates of 1-3'/hour to continue across already soaked regions of South FL, producing additional localized totals of 5'+,' the National Weather Service wrote. 'Isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding likely.'
The downpours are expected to continue until Saturday, with the National Hurricane Center highlighting an area of low pressureover the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The rain comes after swathes of Florida has been left parched by spring time droughts which are now exacerbating flooding.
The dry spells have left soil hydrophobic, meaning it is less able to absorb the excess moisture, especially in urban areas.
Sarasota, which has seen some of the biggest floods, has had 25 inches less rain than it normally would since the start of 2023, the driest on record.
The deluge comes amid forecasts of an unusually busy hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates there is an 85 percent chance that the Atlantic hurricane season will be above average.
Parts of the Sunshine State were drenched by up to ten inches of rain on Tuesday, as more than a month's rainfall fell in a single night
A man works to clear debris from a flooded street as heavy rain falls over parts of South Florida on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Hollywood, Fl
Flights were also disrupted, with more than 120 journeys cancelled or delayed due to the record-breaking rain between midday on Tuesday and this afternoon
The Tampa Bay area was hit by eight inches of rain in three hours, a meteorological event so rare it is only expected once every 500 to 1,000 years
It is predicting between 17 and 25 named storms in the coming months including up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms.
Florida's rainy season roughly begins in June with the start of the six-month hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most activein recent memory.
The disturbance had not reached cyclone status as of Tuesday and was given only a slight chance to form into a tropical system once it emerges into the Atlantic Ocean after crossing Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
'Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across portions of the Florida peninsula during the next few days,' the hurricane center posted on its website Wednesday.
