The Fort Lauderdale airport will be closed until Friday morning, April 14, 2023, due to severe flooding resulting from the wettest day in the city's history.

Fort Lauderdale experienced the wettest day in its history Wednesday — 1 rain event in 1,000 years — prompting a flash flood emergency in Broward County, prompting emergency rescues, forcing drivers to abandon cars were forced to close, schools were closed and the airport was closed at 9 a.m. Friday. It's raining more.

The region received widespread rainfall of more than a foot, while Fort Lauderdale received 25.91 inches in a 24-hour period, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service office in Miami.

Two weak tornadoes also struck Broward County on Wednesday, one just west of Hollywood and the other south of the Fort Lauderdale airport, according to the Miami National Weather Service. Both were short-lived and rated EF-0, the weakest category.

The city of Fort Lauderdale said Thursday evening that more rain on Thursday led to more flooding.

The National Weather Service said the flash flood warning for southern Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, has been extended until 9:30 p.m.

According to the service, 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in the warning area on Thursday afternoon. An additional 1 to 3 inches is still possible, especially south of Fort Lauderdale near Hollywood.

According to an update Thursday morning from the National Weather Service office in Miami, 14 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the Fort Lauderdale metro area since Wednesday afternoon. One mayor said, "The deluge is the most severe flood I have ever seen".

"This much rain in a 24-hour period is incredibly rare for South Florida," said meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez from the weather service's Miami forecast office.

Torres-Vazquez explained that 20 to 25 inches of rain is similar to what the area would receive with a high-end storm over a day. He described the rainfall as "an event of 1 in 1,000 years, or more", meaning that it is such an intense event that it is only 0.1% likely to occur in any given year.

During the peak of Wednesday's floods, a month's worth of rain fell in just one hour. The average rainfall for April in Fort Lauderdale is 3 inches and there have been about 25 years when the city has had a total of 20 inches of rain in an entire month.

Extreme rainfall is a signature result of a warming climate, and it is happening more frequently. The deluge in South Florida is the latest example, following 1-1,000-year rainfall over the past year in areas including Dallas, St. Louis, eastern Kentucky and Yellowstone.

"Even though the heavy rains have ended, many roads remain closed," the weather service said, adding that flooding is expected to persist.

Earlier, Fort Lauderdale was "experiencing severe flooding in several areas of the city," Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said on social media, warning to stay off the roads because vehicles could become trapped or inundated.

The flash flood emergency - the highest level of flood alert - that was in effect for parts of South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, expired Thursday.

Mayor Josh Levy tells us that city crews in Hollywood, Florida, are "doing everything they can" to deploy pumps wherever possible and keep drains clear.

"We've recorded over 12 inches of rain since midnight, and that's on top of the most continuous rain we've seen," Levy said. “The ground was already saturated so there is widespread flooding in our city and throughout South Florida. Many roads are impassable. Lots of vehicles got stuck and abandoned in the middle of our roadways.

“I have lived here my whole life. This is the worst flood I have ever seen.

According to a news release from Governor Ron DeSantis, multiple state agencies and emergency resources are assisting with the flood situation.

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Broward County on Thursday.

In Fort Lauderdale, airboats and high-evacuation buggies from the county sheriff's office and the Florida Wildlife Commission were secured as officials activated their emergency operations center, they said in a statement Thursday.

Fort Lauderdale city officials said emergency crews worked nonstop throughout the night to respond to rescue calls in South Florida.

City Hall was closed on Thursday and will remain closed on Friday, officials said.

City officials are asking neighbors to be patient as "flood conditions remain in effect in the southern areas of the city this morning."

"We expect the flood to recede in the next few hours and some areas of the city have seen improvement," officials said.

According to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crew received more than 900 calls for service during the overnight flooding. The city said Thursday evening that police and firefighters were still responding to calls for service. The city said about 600 people were taken to shelters.

According to the mayor, the Broward Sheriff's Office assisted the agency with 300 rescue calls received during the historic flood event.

Tantalis said, "There is not a single area of this city that has not been affected."

Officials asked the residents to avoid driving or traveling in Fort Lauderdel amidst the storm.

“Public Works Employees are cleaning drains and operating pumps to reduce water as soon as possible. Efforts have been made to remove traffic congestion through priority signaling to help individuals leaving the city. We are requesting the drivers to escape from the city of Fort Lauderdel until they stay away from the roads and reduce water, "the city of Fort Lauderdel said in a news release on Wednesday evening.

"Due to excessive amounts of water, most areas will need to be drained naturally," Tantalis said. “Crew storms are out to clean the drains to help the water coming out of the neighborhood areas. Vacuum trucks are being strategically deployed across the city.

The city's fire department said the Florida Highway Patrol closed several exits on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale.

In Coral Gables in Miami-Dade County, officers are working two water main breaks, according to the Coral Gables Police Department.

Police said some city streets were closed due to flooding, while others had limited travel, giving residents extra time to get to work.

The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday that it has been "inundated with non-emergency 911 calls regarding inclement weather" and asks residents to use 911 only for "true emergencies," with Hee is also asking residents to avoid driving and to call tow trucks. Company if a vehicle is stuck and is not in an emergency.

Some local services are closing on Thursday. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is closed due to ongoing flooding in the vicinity and will reopen at 9 a.m. Friday, according to an update from the airport.

The service said on social media that Brightline train service was temporarily suspended between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It was restored on Thursday.

Additionally, Broward County Public Schools announced that the district would be closed for the second day on Friday.

"No city could have planned for this," Trantalis said.

Trantalis says he has spoken with the White House and Senator Marco Rubio about the situation.

The mayor told the government. "DeSantis hasn't called yet, but I'm sure he's very interested in what's happening here."

Caught in Flood Water

Mandi-Lynn Guertin flew into Fort Lauderdale with her friends for a three-day country music festival starting Friday.

The group flew in from Connecticut and had never experienced weather like this, Guertin told us.

The car they rented got stuck in about 3 feet of water, died, and water quickly filled inside, so they had to abandon it on the side of the road.

"At the moment we can't leave our Airbnb because the flood waters are too high and no Uber will come to pick us up," Guertin said.

Guertin and her friends work in emergency services but on Wednesday night, the quick nature of the flooding really scared them, she said.

She wrote on Facebook, "Southern hospitality and helping your 'neighbors' is really a thing here and I couldn't be more grateful today." "So many strangers have done so much for us tonight."

For now, the group plans to wait it out at their Airbnb with no options and hope the water recedes enough so they can attend tomorrow's concert, which has not yet been canceled.

Rock the Ocean's Tortuga Music Festival, an oceanfront festival, will "proceed" as planned, according to event organizers, despite flooding conditions in the city.

Don Grayson lives 20 minutes from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and was stuck on his way home Wednesday when torrential rains flooded the airport and surrounding streets.

View of Dawn Grayson's car as she waits for the flood waters to subside so she can drive home.

View of Dawn Grayson's car as she waits for the flood waters to subside so she can drive home.

She told us that Grayson was trapped in her car for several hours while waiting for the flood waters to recede.

"The parking garage was flooding, and vehicles got stuck," Grayson said. "We were stuck in our vehicle for 5 hours on Terminal Road."