The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is keeping an eye on a disturbance over Florida for potential tropical development after it crosses the peninsula and emerges over the southwestern Atlantic, but the system has already caused floods and damage as it moves through the state.
The NHC has named this disturbance Invest 90L. The NHC employs an established naming scheme to let forecasters to run specific computer models on systems that are being observed for potential development.
Regardless of how things evolve, the FOX Forecast Center predicts that heavy rainfall, which has already caused flash floods, will continue across parts of Florida for the next day or two.
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According to the National Hurricane Center, an elongated region of low pressure over the Florida Peninsula is causing widespread disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
“Although upper-level winds are expected to be only marginally conducive, some slow development is possible while the system moves northeastward offshore of the U.S. Southeast coast tonight through late week,” the Weather Service stated in its most recent outlook.
The first Hurricane Hunters mission of the season will be to Invest 90L on Wednesday.
Significant Rain Totals Are Forecast
The tropical disturbance formed as a torrent of tropical moisture bombarded Florida, perhaps dropping a foot of rain in certain areas. Flooding has already occurred in portions of the state.
The National Weather Service Office in Miami declared a Flash Flood Emergency for parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties until Wednesday evening, with some gauges expecting rainfall rates of 4 to 6 inches per hour.
The warning includes Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which had reports of standing water on the runway and dozens of delays and cancellations.
The alarm affected over half a million people, including residents of Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, and Miramar. Parts of Interstate 95 near Dania Beach were also closed due to floods. The Florida Highway Patrol reported that contractors were on their way to help pump water off the road.
Transportation cameras captured images of many automobiles that seemed to be soggy.
Mayors of Fort Lauderdale and Miami-Dade County proclaimed municipal states of emergency to assist with cleanup and recovery, while Florida’s governor declared emergencies in Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Lee, and Sarasota counties.
Broward County Public Schools announced that they will be closed on Thursday due to ongoing flooding.
The tropical deluge is anticipated to last into the early weekend. Some parts of Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers and Naples, may receive more than a foot of rain by Saturday.
An Ef-1 Tornado Causes Devastation Outside of West Palm Beach
According to Martin County Fire Rescue, a tornado struck Hobe Sound, Florida, roughly 25 miles north of West Palm Beach, on Wednesday morning. certain residences were reported to have been damaged, and power shortages occurred in certain communities. Jupiter Island was cut off just south of Hobe Sound after trees were felled by a potential tornado. Martin County Fire Rescue stated that it was attempting to clear the damaged routes.
An NWS survey crew determined that the damage was consistent with an EF-1 tornado with peak speeds of 85-95 mph.
Driver is Rescued From Sinking Vehicle in Fort Myers
Firefighters in the Fort Myers area say they performed a water rescue of a guy stuck inside an SUV Wednesday morning.
When first responders came, they found floodwater over the driver’s lap and the car sliding into the mud.
They immediately extracted the frightened man from the truck and discovered no further casualties requiring assistance.
“If you can stay at home, please do. If you must travel on the road, always wear a seat belt and drive at the right pace for the weather and road conditions, according to South Trail Fire & Rescue.
Florida Had Record Rainfall on Tuesday
Radar estimations indicated that 7-12 inches of rain fell in sections of Southwest Florida on Tuesday evening.
Sarasota, Florida, recorded 6.47 inches of rain on Tuesday, making it the city’s 11th wettest day since records began in 1911. The rain also made June 11 the fourth-wettest day on record, setting a new daily rainfall record. Sarasota even broke its all-time one-hour rainfall record, receiving 3.93 inches in a single hour.
The strong rains caused flooding in downtown Sarasota, with numerous automobiles partially submerged.
Sarasota received more rain on Tuesday than it did in February (3.26 inches), March (1.04 inches), April (1.02 inches), and May (0.02 inches) combined. Gainesville, in North Florida, broke its all-time one-hour rainfall record on Tuesday, with 3.92 inches raining in a single hour, showing the severity of the weather event across the state.
Source: foxweather.com