Florida Map Shows Where Heavy Rain Is About to Hit

Southern Florida is still at risk of receiving heavy rain, prompting National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists to publish a map showing where the storm is expected to unleash a deluge.

A plume of moisture from the Caribbean arrived in the Sunshine State earlier this week and it has slowly been working its way across Florida, bringing downpours that cause life-threatening flooding with it. Meteorologists previously said that they expected the heaviest rains to occur from Wednesday to Friday.

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Downpours have already impacted several south Florida cities, including Fort Myers, Sarasota and Miami. Sarasota received more rain in 24 hours than it did during a five-day period during Hurricane Ian in September 2022.

More rain is expected, NWS meteorologists warned with a map published on X on Thursday morning.

"An additional round of heavy rainfall is forecast across SFL today as a large convective band of showers & thunderstorms develops & move southward for the 3rd day in a row," the NWS office in Miami posted. "Even a small duration of heavy rainfall could lead to more flash flooding!"

According to the map, a large swath of southern Florida faces a "moderate risk" or at least a 40 percent chance of experiencing excessive rainfall that leads to rapid onset flooding. Cities in the risk area include Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Homestead. Much of the rest of Florida faces either a marginal risk, at least 15 percent chance, or a slight risk, at least 5 percent chance.

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In a follow-up post, the NWS office in Miami shared the locations experiencing the worst flooding.

"WHAT WE KNOW: - Significant flooding continues across several neighborhoods in South Florida this morning, particularly across portions of Collier, Miami-Dade, & Broward counties," the office posted. "With flooded streets, any additional heavy rainfall today will spark additional flash flooding."

According to a rainfall estimate map shared by NWS Miami on Wednesday, parts of southeastern Florida including Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach received up to 15 inches of rain.

NWS meteorologist Sammy Hadi told Newsweek that the Miami area is expecting 4 to 8 inches of rain throughout Thursday, although he warned that the environment is conducive for amounts over 10 inches.

Photos and videos of the excessive flooding were shared across social media on Wednesday. One video showed a flooded street full of abandoned cars in Aventura, a city north of Miami. Another video revealed a house in Hallandale Beach filled with several inches of water.

As of Thursday morning, south Florida remained under a flood watch, which was set to expire either Thursday or Friday, depending on the area.