South Florida Radar: Which counties have flood alerts and when does the rain arrive?

Southern Florida is being battered by extreme rain, leading authorities to issue evacuation warnings. The images of the flooding are chilling and put on full display the chaos being endured by residents who stayed behind.

Extreme weather can be a terrifying experience to live through. One bears witness to the power of nature, and all that offers protection in the end is one’s body. Homes can be destroyed in an instant. Cars can be dragged into rivers of flood water as if made of paper. Humans can take all the precautions they want but find themselves defenseless when these events arise. Many residents of Florida, both in the south and across the ‘Panhandle,’ will not be unfamiliar with this experience because they lived through devastating hurricanes.

The areas that continue to be under threat

On early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) released an update saying that some warnings had been allowed to expire. However, another Flood Watch warning issued for the area through Friday evening does remain active. The weather warning report shows that the NWS is worried that because of all the rain that has accumulated since Tuesday, even a light storm could lead to flooding in some areas. Some “isolated areas” of the state have already seen 18 inches of rain during this round of storms.

When will more rain arrive?

The NWS is forecasting more rain for the region, but at this point, it does not have precise estimations as to which communities will see more or less rain. Weather.gov shows that the risk in much of South Florida is ‘significant,’ the third highest of four threat levels used by the federal government.

This rain could also be accompanied by lightning and high temperatures, so those with health sensitivities to heat should head warnings from authorities.