Miami Weather, Florida Flooding Cause Flight Delays

P​arts of Florida were under a state of emergency after up to 2 feet of rain fell in some spots, flooding cities including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Naples.

C​ars were nearly submerged on roads, water flooded homes and hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at South Florida airports.

“Florida has been stuck in a pattern with high pressure to its east, and lower pressure to its west. That’s pulled a deep plume of moisture from Central America and the Caribbean Sea into the peninsula,” weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said Thursday.

G​et our latest forecast here.

Flight Delays Stack Up Airports

The weather snarled travel at several Florida Airports.

More than 900 flights were canceled or delayed as of about 5:30 p.m. EDT Thursday at Miami and Fort Lauderdale international airports, according to airline tracker FlightAware.com. More than 1,200 flights were impacted Wednesday.

Airport delays were also reported in Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa.

Aerial Photos Show Miami Flooding

P​hotos from Miami showed flooded streets in one Miami neighborhood, where cars sat crosswise and only an occasional person was seen.

Many of those who ventured out in the area waded through water, in some cases thigh-high, to get to work or other places.

S​ee more in our full slideshow.

‘​Like A Zombie Movie’

T​he streets of Miami were littered with abandoned vehicles that stalled out or got stuck in the floodwaters.

“Looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” Ted Rico, a tow truck driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping to clear the vehicles, told The Associated Press. “There’s cars littered everywhere, on top of sidewalks, in the median, in the middle of the street, no lights on. Just craziness, you know. Abandoned cars everywhere.”

‘Stay Safe, Stay Inside’ In Miami

“Most of all we want residents to know to stay safe, to stay inside, to avoid flooded areas and to remain vigilant,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a Thursday morning news conference.

C​ars Nearly Submerged, 911 Inundated With Calls

V​ideo from local TV station WPLG showed cars stranded and water rescues ongoing just after sunrise.

P​eople were asked to stay off the roads in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

B​roward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a social media update Wednesday that 911 call centers were inundated with non-emergency calls related to the weather.

S​tate Of Emergency Declared For Millions Of People

F​lorida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee, Collier and Sarasota counties. Miami-Dade and Broward, which includes the city of Fort Lauderdale, are the state’s two largest counties with more than 4.5 million people combined.

L​ocal officials also declared states of emergency in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Sunny Isles Beach.

Up To 2 Feet Of Rain In Some Areas

H​ere’s a look at some top rainfall totals over the 48-hour period that ended early this morning.

Broward County:

-H​allandale, 19.39 inches

-​Hollywood, 19.1 inches

-​Davie, 17.97 inches

-​Fort Lauderdale, 12.84 inches

C​ollier County:

-​Big Cypress National Preserve, 25.13 inches

M​iami-Dade County:

-​North Miami, 24 inches

-​Miami Beach, 13.64 inches

H​ere’s What’s Ahead

M​ore rain and flooding are possible. But …

“There is some light at the end of this wet tunnel. This conveyor belt of moisture should retreat westward by this weekend, taking the threat of widespread heavy rain with it,” Erdman said.

“Expect some scattered showers and storms this weekend, but of the variety more typical for a Florida summer day.”

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM

-​El Niño Officially Ends With La Niña Likely To Develop In Coming Months

–​What To Know About Florida’s Rainy Season

-​Florida Rain Falling In A Warming World

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.