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South Florida remained under a flood advisory on Friday as the low-pressure system that brought record-breaking rainfall across the region develops more showers before subsiding over the weekend.

Storms dumped 8 to 20 inches of rain over a large swath of the state beginning Tuesday, triggering dozens of rescues as people were stranded in their homes and cars amid the rising floodwaters. The rain closed sections of major highways and disrupted hundreds of flights at airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Through the end of Friday, meteorologists anticipate an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain to fall, with some areas getting potentially more than 10 inches. The already saturated ground and high rivers heighten the risk of flooding as drainage systems, especially in low-lying areas, have been overwhelmed by the deluge.

Friday's rain could produce "considerable to locally catastrophic urban flooding" through Friday, the weather service's Storm Prediction Center said. The showers are expected to begin in the morning and continue through much of the afternoon.

Three pump trucks were clearing localized flooding across Fort Lauderdale, the city said in a statement, adding that while water has begun to recede, expected storms may flood the roads again. Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, both under a flood watch until 8 p.m., opened several locations where residents can pick up free sandbags.

Meanwhile, a separate storm system in the Northeast began to lash the region with heavy rain, causing widespread travel disruptions.

Storms cause delays at major Northeast airports

Poor weather in the Northeast, which may hamper after-work commutes and weekend getaways, arrived ahead of a cold front. Rounds of storms and showers are expected to continue across the mid-Atlantic through the night before breaking out over New England on Saturday, according to AccuWeather.

On Friday, flights were delayed on average by more than three hours at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. LaGuardia Airport saw average delays of 90 minutes, the FAA said.

In Florida, a small percentage of flights at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were delayed or canceled Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. The Federal Aviation Administration said ground stops were "possible" after 2 p.m.

Florida communities clear debris, floodwater

A tornado touched down on Wednesday in Hobe Sound, a community just north of Palm Beach, toppling tress, knocking out power and damaging some homes as winds reached speeds up to 95 mph. The only twister spun up by the storm system was on the ground for 1.7 miles, stretching across multiple beach communities along the Treasure Coast.

The tornado took down at least 20 landmark Ficus trees that lined a street revered for the canopy's scenic tunnel, which opens up to reveal Hobe Sound Beach. Cranes were used Thursday in what Martin County Fire Rescue spokesperson Cory Pippin said was a “tricky operation” to lift the trees.

“The plan is to save the trees by essentially putting them back up where they stood,” he told Treasure Coast Newspapers, part of the USA TODAY Network. “All of the trees, the ones that came down are all part of the historic 'tunnel' (of trees).”

On the same day, fire and emergency officials were working across South Florida to clear roads of debris and pump water out of flooded neighborhoods. Miami-Dade County deployed high-water vehicles to assist people who were stranded in the floods. Meanwhile, authorities asked residents to stay cautious, especially when out driving as only 1 foot of moving water is capable of lifting and dragging vehicles.

"There's areas that easily have five feet of standing water," said Andy Alvarez, chief fire officer with the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Thursday in a video on Facebook.

Record breaking rainfall

In a 48-hour period between Tuesday and Thursday morning, 20 inches of rain fell in North Miami while 19 inches fell in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood. On the west coast of the state, Naples was inundated with 17 inches of rain.

North of Naples, in Sarasota, nearly 4 inches of rain fell in one hour, the most to fall in such a short time since records began in 1972, according to the weather service. On Wednesday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 6.77 inches of rain was recorded, surpassing the record of 5.47 inches recorded in 1978.

The weather service said the low-pressure system is expected to move northeast off the Sunshine State U.S. through the weekend, ending the dayslong stretch of record-breaking storms.

Florida weather advisories

National weather radar

Contributing: Corey Arwood, Treasure Coast Newspapers; Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post

Parts of South FL saw 20 inches or more of rain this week, which flooded neighborhoods and roads. More rain is in Friday's forecast.

Tiffany Razzano, Patch Staff

|Updated Fri, Jun 14, 2024 at 9:47 am ET

FLORIDA — After days of heavy rainfall caused life-threatening flooding that swamped streets across South Florida, the area is bracing for even more wet weather Friday.

Some areas saw 20 inches or more of rain, flooding neighborhoods and leaving numerous roads impassable for vehicles. At one point, southbound traffic was briefly diverted on major artery Interstate 95 in Broward County as water was pumped from a flooded section of the highway, the Florida Highway Patrol said in an email.

Showers and thunderstorms are likely to start again Friday morning and continue through much of the afternoon, with the southern portions of the region seeing the most rain, the National Weather Service in Miami posted to X, formerly Twitter.

A flood watch remains in effect through Friday evening in South Florida, plus Lee and Charlotte counties.

The Tampa metro has escaped the torrential rainfall amounts, but the forecast for the weekend calls for heavy rain at times. (See the full forecast below.)

Find out what's happening in Miamiwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The downpours hit Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, delaying flights at two of the state’s largest airports and leaving vehicles waterlogged and stalled in some of the region’s lowest-lying streets. On Thursday, travelers tried to salvage their plans as residents cleared debris before the next round of rain.

The NWS cautioned that even smaller amounts of precipitation could impact saturated areas, causing flash floods on Friday before the region has a chance to recover.

A state of emergency issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties as Invest AL 90, a disorganized low-pressure tropical disturbance — the first of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season — brought heavy rains and flooding to many parts of the state.

The invest, which has low chances of cyclone formation, moved northwest across the state into the Atlantic Ocean. As of Friday morning, the storm system was off the Carolinas, according to the NHC.

In Miami-Dade County, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2 partial activation Thursday afternoon in anticipation of continued rainfall, according to a news release. This allows the county’s Department of Emergency Management to coordinate resources for the areas hit hardest by the storm system.

“As we prepare for additional rain this afternoon, I’m doing everything in my power to make sure we have all the resources available and ready to deploy immediately,” the mayor said. “The impacts of the flooding have been localized in the most vulnerable areas and we want to make sure we can protect our residents in need.”

Here's the weekend forecast for Tampa Bay from the National Weather Service:

Friday: Mostly sunny with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A slight chance of showers this morning, then a chance of showers this afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Highs in the mid 90s. East winds around 5 mph, becoming west around 5 mph this afternoon. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy with a chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall. Humid with lows in the upper 70s. West winds around 5 mph, becoming south after midnight. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy rainfall in the morning. Humid with highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Showers likely, mainly in the evening. Humid with lows in the upper 70s. South winds around 5 mph, becoming east after midnight. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Sunday: Partly sunny with a chance of thunderstorms. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers likely in the afternoon. Humid with highs in the mid 90s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent. Heat index values up to 106.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A tropical disturbance that brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida delayed flights at two of the state’s largest airports and left vehicles waterlogged and stalled in some of the region’s lowest-lying streets.

“Looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” said Ted Rico, a tow truck driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping to clear the streets of stalled vehicles. “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.”

Rico, of One Master Trucking Corp., was born and raised in Miami and said he was ready for the emergency.

“You know when its coming,” he said. “Every year it’s just getting worse, and for some reason people just keep going through the puddles.”

Travelers across the area were trying to adjust their plans on Thursday morning. More than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain has fallen in some areas of South Florida since Tuesday, with more predicted over the next few days.

Ticket and security lines snaked around a domestic concourse at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport just before noon Thursday. The travel boards showed about half of that terminal’s flights had been canceled or postponed.

Bill Carlisle, a Navy petty officer first class, had spent his morning trying to catch a flight back to Norfolk, Virginia. He had arrived at Miami International Airport at about 6:30 a.m., but 90 minutes later he was still in line and realized he couldn’t get his bags checked and through security in time to catch his flight.

“It was a zoo,” said Carlisle, a public affairs specialist. He was speaking for himself, not the Navy. “Nothing against the (airport) employees — there is only so much they can do.”

So he used his phone to book an afternoon flight out of Fort Lauderdale. He took a shuttle the 20 miles north, only to find that flight had been canceled. He was now heading back to Miami for a 9 p.m. flight, hoping it wouldn’t get canceled by the heavy rains expected later in the day. He was resigned, not angry.

SEVERE WEATHER

“Just a long day sitting in airports,” Carlisle said. “This is kind of par for the course for government travel.”

Wednesday’s downpours and subsequent flooding blocked roads, floated vehicles and even delayed the Florida Panthers on their way to Stanley Cup games in Canada against the Edmonton Oilers.

The disorganized storm system was pushing across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico at roughly the same time as the early June start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory amid concerns that climate change is increasing storm intensity.

The disturbance has not reached cyclone status and was given only a slight chance to form into a tropical system once it moves into the Atlantic Ocean after crossing Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In Hallandale Beach, Alex Demchemko, was walking his Russian spaniel Lex along the still-flooded sidewalks near the Airbnb where he’s lived after arriving from Russia last month to seek asylum in the U.S.

“We didn’t come out from our apartment, but we had to walk with our dog,” Demchemko said. “A lot of flashes, raining, a lot of floating cars and a lot of left cars without drivers, and there was a lot of water on the streets. It was kind of catastrophic.”

On Thursday morning, Daniela Urrieche, 26, was bailing water out of her SUV, which got stuck on a flooded street as she drove home from work on Wednesday afternoon.

“In the nine years that I’ve lived here, this has been the worst,” she said. “Even in a hurricane, streets were not as bad as it was in the past 24 hours.”

The flooding wasn’t limited to the streets. Charlea Johnson spent Wednesday night at her Hallendale Beach home barreling water into the sink and toilet.

“The water just started flooding in the back and flooding in the front,” Johnson said.

By Wednesday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and mayors in Fort Lauderdale , Hollywood and Miami-Dade County each declared a state of emergency.

It’s already been a wet and blustery week in Florida. In Miami, about 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday and 7 inches (17 centimeters) fell in Miami Beach, according to the National Weather Service. Hollywood got about 5 inches (12 centimeters).

More rain was forecast for the rest of the week, with some areas getting another 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain.

The western side of the state, much of which has been in a prolonged drought, also got some major rainfall. Nearly 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the weather service says, and flash flood warnings were in effect in those areas as well.

Forecasts predict an unusually busy hurricane season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates there is an 85% chance that the Atlantic hurricane season will be above average, predicting between 17 and 25 named storms in the coming months including up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms.

___

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg and Stephany Matat, in Hallandale Beach, contributed to this story.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

“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.

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.

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.

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

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."

-​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.

A tropical disturbance that brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida delayed flights at two of the state's largest airports and left vehicles waterlogged and stalled in some of the region's lowest lying streets.

“Looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” said Ted Rico, a tow truck driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping to clear the streets of stalled vehicles. “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.”

With many streets still flooded and more rain expected, it’s important take steps to avoid flood damage to your vehicle.

“If you’re driving toward standing water you want to stop and turn around because the unfortunate thing, is you just don't know how deep that water could be and all it really takes is about six inches of water to cause damage to your vehicle's exhaust system your vehicle could stall,” said Mark Jenkins, with the American Automobile Association.

Rico, of One Master Trucking Corp., was born and raised in Miami and said he was ready for the emergency.

“You know when its coming,” he said. “Every year it’s just getting worse and for some reason people just keep going through the puddles.”

What to do if your car gets stuck in flood water?

If your car stalls, experts with State Farm Insurance say you should not attempt to restart your vehicle because the engine could be damaged. Instead, it’s best to leave it immediately and seek higher safety.

My car is flooded. What should I do now?

When it’s safe, experts say you should tow your vehicle to a repair shop for an inspection before attempting to drive it.

“Before starting the vehicle, have it towed to an over pair facility to ensure that it has a full inspection before you take that vehicle out on the roadway again because there is a lot of damage that could impact the safety of that vehicle,” Jenkins said.

If your car does have damage, then it’s a good idea to get the insurance claim process rolling.

“Insurance companies are often bombarded with a lot of calls and they're processing a lot of information the best thing that you can do to speed up the process is contact your insurance provider as soon as possible and get them the necessary information that they need to begin the process of filing that claim,” Jenkins said.

According to State Farm Insurance, as of Thursday morning they have received approximately 300 auto claims following the widespread flooding in South Florida.

If your car has been damaged, you should document the damage with pictures and video. Send this information to your insurance company right away.

The sooner the vehicle can be inspected and dried out, the less damage it will sustain.

What type of car insurance covers flood damage?

For your auto insurance to cover damage from rising flood waters, you need to have comprehensive coverage.

According to Progressive Insurance’s website, even if your car is stopped in floodwater or gets damaged by driving through a flooded street your comprehensive coverage may pay for the repairs.

If you don’t have comprehensive coverage, the cost to fix your vehicle will come out of your pocket.