Torrential rain closes airport, schools in South Florida

Torrential rains in south Florida forced Fort Lauderdale’s airport to close and led to widespread flooding after nearly a foot of precipitation fell in the span of a few hours on Wednesday, with forecasters predicting even more on Thursday.

The rainfall made Fort Lauderdale declare a state of emergency, as flooding stalled cars and stranded travelers. Officials said they had activated rescue teams but no deaths were immediately reported. 

Along with the closure of the airport, officials also suspended commuter rail services for the Broward County region and urged drivers to stay off of the roads until the flooding subsided. Fort Lauderdale’s fire department said the city was experiencing “severe flooding.” All public schools in Broward County Public School — which includes over 260,000 students — were closed on Thursday.

Officials said airport operations would continue after conditions improved.

The rain in the area started on Monday, with the most severe downfalls coming on Wednesday. Up to 14 inches had fallen in the area by Wednesday, and forecasters said the severe weather might not be over.

The National Weather Service’s Miami branch said more rain and severe weather were possible Thursday, saying scattered showers and thunderstorms would develop late in the morning and early in the evening. It said localized flooding, strong winds, small hail and a few tornadoes were all possible. A flood watch was in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for the area.