A not-quite-tropical storm slammed into the lower Florida panhandle on Saturday, bringing a foot of rain that caused flooding in the Miami area that left cars stranded on roadways.
For much of Central Florida, it was just a typical rainy day.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Osceola and Brevard counties along with other areas along the Treasure Coast as potential tropical cyclone one made landfall and storms formed through Friday afternoon.
On Saturday morning, the system once forecast to become Tropical Storm Alex ultimately failed, and the warning in Osceola County was lifted. Meteorologist David Heckard, Orlando Sentinel news partner Spectrum News 13, said Osceola saw just 1 to 2 inches of rain overnight, while southern Brevard County had up to 3 inches.
But that’s typical of storm systems this early in hurricane season, when Heckard said storms are often too disorganized to become anything more dangerous.
“What happened [el viernes] overnight was that the system remained very unbalanced,” Heckard said. “The center is very elongated, and so the system was never able to really focus on a low-level center, which is what we need to develop a tropical storm.”
Meanwhile, the east coast south of the Volusia-Brevard county line was lashed with rain and gusts of up to 40 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
Though not as strong as it could have been, Heckard said it’s important for residents to prepare for future storms “before the season really ramps up in August and September.”
“Although this was a very disorganized system that didn’t account for much, that’s not a guarantee as we go forward,” he said. “This is a great reminder that we live in a region prone to tropical storms and hurricanes, and if you haven’t started thinking about what you would do if a more legitimate system hits the area, now is a good time to do so. “
In South Florida, authorities issued warnings as areas of Miami experienced road flooding, with videos on social media showing cars stalled by deluge as residents drove through the city in heavy rain and wind. The city of Miami was towing stranded vehicles from flooded roads.
Downtown Miami saw about 11 inches of rain on Saturday morning, according to figures from the National Weather Service.
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Traveling in these conditions is not recommended. Is better to wait. Turn around, don’t drown.” tweeted the city of Miami.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm once known as Agatha in the Pacific Ocean is forecast to become a tropical storm on Sunday morning and is expected to strengthen through Monday as it moves away from Florida. and enters the Atlantic Ocean.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said most government services, such as bus and train routes, planned to operate as normal through the weekend. Channel levels in South Florida have been lowered to minimize flooding from heavy rains.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on Tuesday. This is an unusually early start to storm season, but not unprecedented for Florida. An updated hurricane season outlook forecast 20 named storms, 10 hurricanes and five major hurricanes.
He also predicted a 76% chance that the US coast would be hit by a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). The average of the last century is 52%.
This story was published in the Orlando Sentinel