Stalled storm dumps two feet of rain, closes Fort Lauderdale airport
Nearly 26 inches of rain was recorded at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a storm hit April 12.
A supercell storm that stalled over Broward County, Florida late Wednesday, April 12, led to widespread flooding across Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area. Emergency declarations were issued by the City of Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach and Broward County on Thursday.
Over two feet of rain fell at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in less than 24 hours, grounding flights beginning Wednesday afternoon, with the airport expected to remain closed through early Friday morning.
“Weather that delays or cancels a flight is one of the most common coverage on travel insurance plans. In terms of cancellation coverage, travelers can be covered to cancel their trip if weather delays their flight for a specific amount of time, or cancels the flight altogether. The most lenient plans will cover cancellation for any weather-related delay, while some require the delay to extend anywhere from 3 to 24 hours. Travelers who are covered can be reimbursed 100% of their trip cost, or as much of their trip that they forfeit,” Squaremouth President Megan Moncrief said in a statement about the airport closure.
“Likewise,” she continued, “travel delay and missed connection benefits are commonly available if the weather delays a flight. These benefits can reimburse expenses during the delay, to include meals or accommodations, as well as the additional cost to rebook a flight if the weather delay causes the traveler to miss a connection in their trip.”
According to AccuWeather, preliminary rainfall totals for the 24-hour period that ended Thursday morning included 25.91 inches in Fort Lauderdale, 18.16 inches in Hollywood, 17.3 inches in Dania Beach, 15.06 inches in Plantation and 14.58 inches in Lauderhill — with most of the rain falling during an 8-hour period on Wednesday.
April is considered part of Florida’s “dry season,” which lasts from October 15 to May 15, during which only about 30% of the year’s rain falls. The average monthly rainfall in April in this area is just 3.69 inches, according to the Weather Channel.
In an update Thursday morning, the City of Fort Lauderdale reported roads across the city remained impassable from this “50-year flood,” and crews were working to clear storm drains in neighborhoods to help floodwaters recede. They noted, however, that most areas will need to drain naturally, and residents should remain at home unless it is absolutely necessary to leave.
The chance for more rain and storms remains through the rest of the week for South Florida, which could exacerbate the existing flooding. Both a flood warning and flash flood warning remained in effect through Thursday night.