Topline
The heavy rainfall and flooding in southern Florida could end up costing the state more than $1 billion, Bloomberg reported Thursday, as a state of emergency has been declared by Gov. Ron DeSantis—and more rain is forecast to batter the region Thursday afternoon.
Florida has been shattering rainfall records this week, which has led to severe flooding in some ... [+]
Key Facts
Chuck Watson, disaster modeler at Enki Research, told Bloomberg damages from the storm could cost more than $1 billion, and the publication reported storms causing that amount of damage are becoming more frequent.
DeSantis declared a state of emergency for multiple counties on Wednesday, including Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota—and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also declared a local state of emergency.
Southern Florida saw 20 inches of rain in less than 24 hours on Wednesday, according to Accuweather, which said the rainfall is “double the historical average rainfall for all of June.”
Wednesday’s flooding led to partial closures of I-95 in Broward County and hundreds of flight delays and cancellations, according to The New York Times.
What To Watch For
Miami’s National Weather Service said in a post that an additional band of rain is forecast for the region Thursday afternoon “which could exacerbate ongoing flooding and result in additional flash flooding concerns.” A flood watch is in effect for Southern Florida until Friday evening, according to the NWS.
Tangent
Several states in the southern parts of the U.S., including Florida and Louisiana, have experienced record-breaking heat over the past several weeks. The heat, which shows no signs of slowing down in some areas, also has experts predicting a record-breaking forecast of 17 to 25 tropical storms and hurricanes this year.
Surprising Fact
The rain that hit Sarasota earlier this week is so rare that NBC News reported it is only expected every 500 to 1,000 years. The gulf coast of the state received 8 inches of rain between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay area usually receives 7.3 inches of rain throughout the entirety of June, according to NBC News.
Key Background
The U.S. has been battered with a series of severe—and sometimes record-breaking—weather patterns since the start of 2024. Severe thunderstorms led to multiple tornadoes throughout the central and midwest during the spring, and California saw multiple atmospheric river storms at the start of the year. Scientists blame increasingly severe weather events to human-created climate change.
Further Reading
Florida Flooding Emergency Worsens as More Rain Lands on Miami (Bloomberg)
2024 Record High Temperatures: New Heat Records From California To Florida And Louisiana (Forbes)
Government Forecasters Issue Most Dire Hurricane Season Prediction In Their History—Here’s Why (Forbes)
La Niña Could Bring Record-Breaking Heat To The U.S. This Summer—What To Know (Forbes)
Heavy Rains Batter South Florida, Closing Roads and Grounding Flights (The New York Times)
