After severe rainfall and thunderstorms in the Atlantic brushed the East Coast yesterday, parts of Miami got a heaping helping of rain that flooded several streets downtown and around Biscayne Boulevard. By 10 p.m., parts of Miami got up to four inches of rainfall, and Miami Beach was up to its ankles with more than five inches of rain filling the streets in some areas.
Even more flooding could occur today, with storms and showers moving back toward Miami from the south and thunderstorms lurking to the east.
The National Weather Service warns drivers never to drive through flooded roadways, but we know Miamians: They have somewhere to be and they're gonna get there, even if the whole county is underwater. Local social media has been flooded (insert laugh track here) with photos of roads and parking lots turned into swimming pools — and people persistently attempting to make their way through it.Feb 17 @ 320am - Showers and a few storms are moving back in from the south. Flooding issues remain possible along the east coast this morning so remember to NEVER drive through flooded roadways! #flwx pic.twitter.com/ANFDb0PToF
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) February 17, 2021
The Instagram page @onlyindade shared one video of drivers on Biscayne Boulevard near the MacArthur Causeway probably wishing their vehicles were amphibious.
Miami Beach was almost worse off, with the water reaching above the wheels of some cars and pedestrian walkways completely submerged.Flooding on Biscayne Blvd & 23rd Street in Miami Dade. The area is under a Flash Flood Warning pic.twitter.com/Os66wsZYvv
— Phil Ferro (@PhilFerro7) February 16, 2021
The local flooding comes after a cavalcade of severe weather across the nation. A freak winter storm hit Texas earlier this week, catching much of the population off-guard and crippling power grids, leading to major outages.Today in Miami Beach #BecauseMiami (video: Alejandro Alvarez) pic.twitter.com/djhvCqraEZ
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) February 16, 2021
Severe winter storms have rocked other parts of the nation, as well, including in states that aren't accustomed to cold weather.
Meanwhile in Florida, we've been melting. While other states experienced all-time lows, Miami fell just shy of reaching record highs in the 80- and 90-degree range these past few days.
As other cities struggle to deal with crippling cold, Miami will most likely adapt to its new reputation as the American Venice in as wacky a manner as possible. Perhaps some tech bro can invent us an underwater car like this one:
