Photos show how record rain is flooding Florida and turned Fort Lauderdale Airport into a lake
Chris Panella
- Record-setting rain pounded southern Florida on Wednesday, with some areas getting more than 25 inches of rain.
- Major roads were shut down Thursday and all flights were canceled at Fort Lauderdale's airport.
Florida was hit with record-breaking rains on Wednesday.
In the Fort Lauderdale metro area, up to 25 inches of rain in a 24-hour period were tallied, according to the National Weather Service of Miami.
Other preliminary reports from NWS Miami suggested new records for the most rainfall in other cities such as Hollywood and Dania Beach.
The rain was as severe as a hurricane — even beating out the totals racked up by Hurricane Katrina.
Rainfall totals of around 20 to 25 inches are about what you'd expect from a strong hurricane.
Hurricane Katrina's rainfall barely peaked at 20 inches when it swept over South Florida in 2005, according to the National Weather Service.
The flooding shut down major roads and highways.
Across Broward County, roads were completely flooded, forcing drivers to abandon their cars.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue urged people to stay off the streets during the storms, warning that vehicles could become stuck or submerged.
Entire neighborhoods and towns are flooded.
A video shared by NBC6 shows an overhead view of flooding across Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods, with water covering streets and reaching up to people's doors.
The local airport was turned into a lake, leaving travelers stranded.
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shut down on Wednesday due to flooding on the runway.
Over 25 inches of rain fell at the airport, shattering the previous record of 14 inches set in 1979, according to NBC6.
One video shared by Live Storm Chasers shows airplanes and airport traffic vehicles moving through the watery tarmac.
The airport will stay closed until 5 am Friday morning.
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