(NewsNation) — Heavy rainfall led to floods across Southern Florida, causing Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue a state of emergency in five counties: Broward, Miami-Dade, Collier, Lee and Sarasota.
Since Tuesday, as much as 20 inches of rain have been recorded in some areas, and even more is forecast over the next few days.
Officials are warning critical infrastructure could be at risk. As of Thursday afternoon, there were no reports of any injuries, but many were dealing with damage caused by water. Flooding got so bad that a major interstate had to be shut down for six hours, stranding some drivers.
In one neighborhood in Hallandale Beach, NewsNation crews captured multiple cars flooded out by the relentless rain and saw people trying to make their way through water that went up to their waist. Hundreds of flights at airports around the state were delayed, including the Panthers hockey team on their way to Stanley Cup games.
State officials warned Florida residents to stay off the roads as flooding continues.
Hurricane Season Looms
This storm system comes around the same time as the start of this year’s hurricane season, which NOAA anticipates will be above average. The agency said in April that there will be 17 to 25 total named storms, the highest it has ever predicted in its seasonal outlook. Of these storms, eight to 13 are anticipated to become hurricanes, and four to seven could be Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph.
Projections for the collective strength and duration of the Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes this season range from 150% to 245% above normal. To measure this, NOAA uses the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index. The ACE projections for 2024 are the second highest to start a season, NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.
While the storms in Florida this week did not reach cyclone status, according to the National Hurricane Center, their intensity has some wondering what this hurricane season will bring.
“Probably over the course of five hours-ish is when it started getting up to about a foot-and-a-half or two. And that’s when I started seeing cars getting stuck, cars getting burned out,” Gabe Lauer of Sarasota told NewsNation. “If this is just a small unnamed storm, I am definitely concerned to see what hurricane season holds for us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.