OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — Broward County Public Schools announced all of its schools and district officers will be closed Thursday due to the heavy rain and flooding threats.
The district tweeted Wednesday night that all school activities, events, field trips, sporting events, scheduled meetings, other planned events and evening classes are also canceled.
Employees and personnel will be canvassing schools to assess any damage or water intrusion, officials said.
Also, Broward College will be closed on Thursday. This will impact online classes, as well as all campuses and centers.
A washout on Wednesday was leaving streets flooded, causing traffic nightmares and delaying hundreds of flights at local airports.
A majority of the metro South Florida area was under a Flash Flood Warning, with more rain expected to fall overnight.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Terminal Drive quickly flooded forcing some drivers to go off the roadway to get past the high water.
Others plowed through before the road was closed.
Inside, travelers were experiencing dozens of delays. By 5 p.m., more than 150 flights were delayed at FLL, along with three flights canceled.
At Miami International Airport, another 136 delays were reported Wednesday.
In Pompano Beach, WPTV reporter Joel Lopez was at the city's pier where he saw steady rain and palm trees swaying in the wind. Outdoors dining was impacted,
One man in town from Chicago said this was not the Florida trip he was expecting.
"It's pretty much been raining since Monday," he said. "We're looking to golf tomorrow and I honestly don't know if it is going to happen. This is pretty disappointing to be honest with you. I was hoping for a great week of weather. Obviously it is not cooperating with us."
Out at the beaches, gusty winds and heavy rain led to the red flags indicating "no swimming" being brought out.
"We were a little bummed at first, but it is cool to see nature do its thing out here," said Brittany Hertzberg, visiting South Florida from Flint, Michigan.
On Hollywood Beach, some didn't let the rains damper their routines. Runners were running, people were strolling the sand, including one woman on a treasure hunt despite winds gusting in the 20 mph range.
In Lauderdale Lakes, crews worked to clear a tree that fell on two cars. The owner said he thinks it happened late Tuesday night.
The wet weather also made for some slick conditions out on the roadways, leading to crashes in some cases.
Up in Oakland Park, which experienced flooding Tuesday night, more streets were again covered with water Wednesday.
A video from Only in Dade showed a downed traffic light along Coral Way near Southwest 13th Street in Miami.
In Edgewater, crews were out as a water pump worked to prevent significant flooding on Northeast 23rd Street.
The flash flood warning in Broward and Miami-Dade is until 6 a.m. Thursday.
"I had my phone, played some solitaire, read the news, some TikToks," King said
Following are the top rainfall totals in Broward County from the National Weather Service:
Plantation: 8.30 inches West-northwest Plantation: 7.52 inches West-northwest Hollwood: 7.25 inches Pines Middle School, Pembroke Pines: 7.13 inches
Following are the top rainfall totals in Miami-Dade County from the National Weather Service:
Cache: 9.35 inches
Coral Gables: 7.58 inches
Chekika: 7.12 inches
North Miami: 7.03 inches
