By Phil Helsel -
NBC News
Heavy rains flooded streets in some Florida cities and
forced the cancellation of flights at the Fort Lauderdale airport
Wednesday night as storms dropped a foot of rain, forecasters and officials said.
A flash flood watch has been issued for the Hollywood, Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale areas, the National Weather Service reported Wednesday night.
Radar estimates showed 11 to 12 inches of rain in those areas and up to 17 inches near the coast.
Rain was still falling at a rate of 4 inches per hour
, said Chuck Caracozza, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Miami.
Cars move through rain-flooded streets in Dania Beach, Florida, on April 12, 2023.Getty Images
"It's very dangerous [the situation] here in the Fort Lauderdale area," Caracozza said.
"People should avoid the streets."
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport said it was closed to flights and warned drivers to stay away or stay at the airport because the entrances and exits to the facility were flooded.
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A video broadcast from NBC Miami showed flooding in an airport garage and cars rolling through flooded streets in Dania Beach, a city south of Fort Lauderdale.
“We are asking you not to go onto the streets until this water clears up,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Stephen Gollan told residents in a video shared by the city manager Wednesday.
Cars are getting stuck, he said.
A passenger train between Miami and Fort Lauderdale was suspended, reported the company Brightline, operator of the track.
The rains caused flooding in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2023.Getty Images
The flash flood warning for Fort Lauderdale and other parts of Broward County is in effect until 11:00 pm Rains should abate later tonight, Caracozza said.
The Weather Service had forecast heavy rain in parts of Florida for Wednesday, due to the uplift of a warm front.
Showers and winds were expected to move toward the central Gulf Coast on Thursday.