OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - Copious downpours led to flooded roadways and traffic headaches in parts of South Florida on a busy Friday.
The rainfall was steady across Broward County all of Friday morning, making for a treacherous drive on Interstate 595 and Andrews Avenue.
Bands of heavy precipitation moved north throughout the day.
In Fort Lauderdale, the flooding turned a parking lot into a lake at Southport Raw Bar off 17th Street. Motorists were forced to carefully drive onto Cordova Road.
Even when the rain has stopped, it can be a hazard for cars, because drivers are often unable to see what they’re drivIng into.
Police officers are asking drivers to be wary of these conditions to drive carefully and avoid flooded intersections if possible. Driving through them is sometimes not advisable.
7News cameras captured cars stuck in the middle of Northeast Sixth Avenue and Prospect Road in Oakland Park.
Even a large truck was just tall enough to make it through.
Among those whose vehicle stalled was Juan Mejia.
“For two and a half hours I sat with my two dogs in the back, waiting for the water to come down,” he said.
“It floods so much that it’s impossible, that once you realize you’re in the middle, there’s no putting your car in reverse,” he said.
Mejia’s BMW sedan got stuck right in the middle of Northeast Sixth Avenue.
Driver David Bogenschutz said it was difficult to see just how deep the standing water was in Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood just before his Mercedes-Benz got stuck.
“There wasn’t heavy water at the end of it when I pulled in. All of a sudden, it just went completely [lower] three or four feet,” he said. “I can’t even open the door, I’m afraid to.”
There was also heavy rain in parts of Miami-Dade County that left behind flooded intersections in the Allapattah neighborhood.
The traffic was backed up in major Miami-Dade roadways as early as Friday afternoon, making for a wet and messy commute.
Cameras captured a motorcyclist struggling to get by on a Miami Beach road, Friday evening.
In Broward County, the heaviest rainfall later moved off shore, and floodwaters have since receded.
In Oakland Park, the intersection of Northeast Sixth Avenue and Prospect Road was completely clear by 4 p.m., but calf-deep floodwaters lingered at the intersection of Northeast 11th Avenue and 48th Street for a couple of hours.
Mejia had to wait a long time for a tow truck. Even after floodwaters receded, his BMW still wouldn’t start.
Residents in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties continued to see pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall, gusty winds and lightning. A section of Miami-Dade, including Key Biscayne, was under a street flood advisory until 7:45 p.m. Another street flood advisory was issued further south in Miami-Dade, including Homestead, until 6 p.m.
There is also the potential for more rain during the weekend. Moisture that is expected to move into South Florida is forecast to be trapped by a front on Saturday and Sunday, increasing the chances for rainfall on both days.
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