Parts of South Florida experienced road floods from torrential rain and wind on Saturday as a system of storms that hit Mexico moved across the state.
Miami authorities have warned drivers about road conditions as many cars are stuck on flooded streets.
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Traveling in these conditions is not recommended. It is better to wait. “Turn around, don’t drown,” the city of Miami tweeted.
The city was pulling stranded vehicles off flooded roads.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the storm had tested a system of drainage pumps the city had recently installed as climate change increasingly made flooding a problem in low-lying areas.
“We moved the water pretty quickly, but in some areas it was obviously a real challenge,” Gelber said. “There were problems crossing some streets, one of the main arteries was impassable, but in general the water is dissipated.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm, once known as Agatha in the Pacific, would be known as Alex in the Atlantic basin if it reached tropical storm status.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, the storm was concentrated about 145 miles (235 kilometers) east-northeast of Fort Pierce, Florida. It was moving northeast near 20 mph (31 kmh). Tropical storm warnings in effect on the east coast of Florida and the northwestern Bahamas have been suspended. There was a tropical storm clock for Bermuda. Maximum steady winds were recorded near 45 mph (75 kmh) with higher gusts.
The storm was expected to reach the strength of a tropical storm off the east coast of Florida on Saturday night and intensify until Monday as it moved away from Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
In Cuba, the storm killed three people, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and cut off electricity in some areas, according to authorities. Heavy rain continued on Saturday, but decreased as the weather system moved away from the island.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Kawa said most government services, such as bus routes and trains, plan to operate normally over the weekend. South Florida canal levels have been reduced to minimize torrential rain floods.
The season of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean officially began on Tuesday. It’s an unusually early start to the storm season, but it’s not unprecedented for Florida.
The National Hurricane Center predicts rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) is possible in South Florida, including Florida Keys. The storm was not expected to cause huge winds or high tides. But it’s probably a local flood.
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