What a week we had here in Miami Beach! 7.14” of rain around high tide, Tuesday August 1, 2017. Last year, in August 2016, we were fighting flood waters back home in Louisiana with the 30″ rainstorm my family receive in Livingston Parish. Climate Change is here folk, this is the “new normal”.
Two articles on the flooding –
The Miami area endured an absurd flooding event Tuesday afternoon
During the afternoon hours Tuesday, torrential rain drenched parts of Miami and Miami Beach. Four to seven inches of rain fell in a matter of a few hours before and during the evening rush, causing extensive flooding and gridlock.
Cars floated on the curbs, and neighbors helped push stranded motorists down the street. Parked cars on flooded roads bobbed in the wake as larger trucks and SUVs passed.
Five-hour radar loop spanning the heaviest rain during the afternoon hours. (Brian McNoldy)
This region is no stranger to tropical downpours, but this amount of rain falling in a short time will create flash flooding just about anywhere. And in some ways, because it is so low-lying, this region is more vulnerable to flooding than many as it depends on storm drains being able to drain into nearby Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately, in this case, the water had nowhere to go as the heaviest rain came as the tide was rising. It couldn’t drain until the tides began to go back down hours later.
Year by year, as the average water level increases due to sea-level rise, high tides become more of a problem — either by reducing the ability of storm drains to function or by actually bringing salt water up onto the streets when they’re very high.
For now, the latter is typically only a problem around the full moons in September, October and November, colloquially known as the “King Tides.” But as sea level continues to rise, the baseline increases and flooding (both freshwater and saltwater) will become more and more common…………
Miami Beach flooding: what you need to know
“Turn around, don’t drown”
Many of the streets in Miami Beach are covered in water this evening as 7 inches of rain caused flooding throughout the area. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Tuesday for central Miami-Dade County, which remains in effect until 7:45 pm. Flood advisories were also issued for Downtown Miami and Coral Gables.
In their weather statement and on Twitter, the National Weather Service has urged people to “Turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flooded roads. The statement goes on, “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.” The NWS wants people to stay home and avoid trying to cross flooded roadways.
CBS Miami has confirmed flooding at the corners of Alton and 5th and 15th and Pennsylvania, while traffic on I-95 struggles to deal with the stalled cars. There are numerous reports of power outages throughout the city.
Local 10 meteorologist Betty Davis reports that the flooding has been caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Emily and that rain has fallen over a concentrated area of Miami Beach. Combined with this evening’s high tide (5:18 pm), water has been slow to drain………….
Planningnerd.net 