'Like a hurricane': Heavy rain in Florida knocks out power for thousands
Torrential rain and strong winds across the south east and central coasts of Florida flooded city streets, knocked out power for thousands of people and prompted school closures.
The storm system formed over the Florida Keys this week and dumped up to 9 inches of rain across parts of south Florida beginning Tuesday before moving up the coast and out into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
High winds accompanied the rain, with some areas along the south Florida coastline experiencing gusts up to 70 mph. More than 100,000 homes and businesses across the southeast region of the peninsula were without power early Thursday.
Broward County Public Schools, the the sixth largest district in the United States, canceled classes and after school activities Thursday, citing heavy rain and the threat of floods. Schools in neighboring Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties remained open.
'The most powerful storm I've seen in a long time'
Nikki Marchelos, 39, of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, told Paste BN the storm felt "like a hurricane."
Her beachside condo lost power around 5 a.m. and she's been using a generator since. From her window, she said she can see debris across the beach and covering several balconies. Meanwhile, strong winds have pushed the ocean water "very close" to the building.
"The waves are incredible. I mean, this is surfers' dream right now. It's like we're in California," she said. "This is the most powerful storm I've seen in a long time, and I've been through a lot of them."
Marchelos' husband, Spiro, co-owns Anglin’s Pier, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Nicole last year and hasn't reopened. On Wednesday, he gave his employees at the Anglin's Beach Cafe the day off because of the conditions. When reached by phone Thursday, he said he and several people were shoveling sand out of the eatery.
"There's a lot of beach erosion, flooding in town and it's extremely windy outside," he said. "This is like a mini hurricane in my eyes."
Florida coastal rain brings chances of flooding, rip currents
Thursday's rain combined with high astronomical tides will produce "dangerous conditions" at beaches, the NWS says, including large breaking waves of 6-9 feet and rough surf. Wave runup to the dune line or seawall near high tide could lead to minor to moderate beach erosion and coastal flooding.
In the water, there's a high risk of strong, life-threatening rip currents at all central Florida Atlantic beaches, and entering the water is highly discouraged.
The NWS is warning of hazardous boating conditions until 1 p.m. Thursday from Sebastian Inlet through the Jupiter Inlet and out 60 nautical miles. All small craft should remain in port, and a gale warning remains in effect over all waters into Thursday night.
The NWS in Melbourne issued a flood watch in place from Stuart to Daytona Beach until Thursday night, with showers expected through Friday morning. The most likely rainfall is expected to be between 1 to 3 inches, with some areas potentially seeing amounts near 6 inches. Heavy rain may lead to flooding in low-lying areas, swales and roads.
Isolated lightning storms are also possible Thursday over the Atlantic waters of the Treasure Coast and over land Thursday afternoon and evening, especially along the coast. The NWS warns storms will be capable of torrential downpours and occasional cloud to ground lightning. Gusts in some squalls could hit 50 to 55 mph.
Caribbean storms could become tropical depression
The NWS is tracking a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms that could become a tropical depression or storm in the next few days. The Paste BN Network − Florida reports that along the south Florida coast, another area of low pressure is developing that could bring gusty winds and heavy rains across southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas over the next few days.
New system forming: Multiple storms to dump rain across Florida, National Weather Service says
Florida power outage tracker
Florida weather watches, warnings
National weather watches and warnings
Contributing: The Associated Press