Advertisement

Miami, Fort Lauderdale break decades-old rainfall records Sunday. Is the worst behind us?

South Florida is seeing a downpour Sunday that broke daily rainfall records in Miami and Fort Lauderdale respectively set during the Vietnam War and near the end of the Cold War.

Miami got 4.13 inches of rain as of 4 p.m., surpassing the previous unparalleled high of 1.65 that fell Feb. 5, 1987, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. Fort Lauderdale received 4.06 inches, exceeding the record-setting 2.8 that fell Feb. 5, 1964.

The torrential downpours caused the 900 block of State Road A1A in Fort Lauderdale to become impassable around noon. The roadway was reopened about four hours later when the flooding subsided.

“Due to heavy rain, numerous areas of the city are flooded,” Fort Lauderdale police warned via Twitter. “Motorists are asked to use caution and to avoid driving through standing water.”

But according to the weather service in Miami, the worst is behind us.

“We will most likely not see widespread lines of showers like we did early this morning,” George Rizzuto, a weather service meteorologist, told the Miami Herald. “During the remainder of the day, we should expect some isolated, scattered showers and thunderstorms.”

Will it continue raining?

It’s very likely that you won’t be needing an umbrella for a few days.

Miami-Dade and Broward will see little to no rain from Monday to Thursday, Rizzuto said. On Friday, there is a 30% chance of rain across most of South Florida, according to the weather service. Temperatures will range from low 60s to low 80s.

“Tomorrow we are expecting dry conditions, and that will continue through most of the week until Friday, when our next chance of rain comes in with a cold front,” Rizzuto said.

Watch out for rip currents

If it doesn’t rain during the week, does it mean that it’s safe to go to the beach? Not so fast, the weather service says.

There is a high risk of life-threatening rip currents from north of West Palm Beach to Key Biscayne through Thursday, according to the weather service.

The weather service recommends beachgoers not to swim and to heed the advice of the local beach patrol and flag warning systems.

Hazardous conditions for small crafts will continue through Wednesday in the same area, according to the weather service. Boaters of small vessels should continue exercising caution Thursday and Friday.

Breaking waves could result in hazardous conditions for swimmers from Tuesday to Thursday across Broward and Palm Beach counties.