FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Wild weather whipped South Florida Thursday afternoon as dark, ominous clouds moved into the coast and poured down heavy rain and unleashed strong winds.
Many drivers pulled over on Interstate 95 for safety as the heavy rain decreased visibility, while drivers in Southwest Miami-Dade got drenched in rain.
7News cameras captured drivers driving through partially flooded streets in the area of Southwest 152nd Street and 128th Avenue.
The strong winds knocked down an enormous tree, blocking a street in the area of Southwest 96th Terrace and 117th Avenue.
“We heard a big snap. I guess that was what that was,” witness Samantha Sanchez said.
Cameras captured the toppled tree blocking the residential street.
“Thank God no more cars were out there,” Sanchez said. “It’s actually crazy because it’s been there ever since we moved in over 15 years ago.
The heavy gusts of wind also brought down a tree in front of a business in Fort Lauderdale. The tree landed on an Audi SUV and blocked a roadway.
“When I went out, it was crushed,” said Chris Wintter, the vehicle’s owner. “The whole hood completely smashed, probably 10,000 pounds of tree or more on top of it.”
No one was inside the vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
“I’m very thankful nobody got hurt. I’m actually thankful it didn’t fall the other way into the office, because that would have been even more damage,” said Wintter.
Time lapse video recorded at Miami International Airport showed a heavy downpour completely eclipsing the control tower.
Video also showed whipping winds in parts of Hialeah and Fort Lauderdale, and time lapse video on Sunrise Boulevard in Lauderhill recorded dark clouds passing through the area.
Meanwhile, in Sunny Isles Beach, the storm dropped and spun a scaffold flights down an apartment building of the Turnberry on Collins Avenue.
Cellphone video showed two workers hanging and dangling on the scaffold as it dropped further.
According to witnesses, they heard the men screaming and saw their helmets fly off into the wind. They said the intense moment lasted about 10 minutes before the men lowered themselves to the first-floor balcony, that’s when Miami-Dade Fire Rescue showed up.
“I heard a big, strong gush of wind, and I just found it strange, and I look out my balcony, and I see the scaffold just hanging, and there was a person hanging from it, trying to get to the balcony and hold his friend, but it just kept moving them back and forth,” said Paul Paiani, who shot the video. “The wind was very strong.”
Dramatic cellphone video captured workers on another scaffolding nearby as strong winds caused them to spin and swing. The gusts were so powerful that they slammed into a high-rise moments later.
Officials said no one in either incident was hurt.
Crews have since cleared the toppled tree in Southwest Miami-Dade.
In Fort Lauderdale, crews worked into the night to remove the downed tree there.
The afternoon storm caused power outages throughout South Florida, as 2,404 people in Miami-Dade have been left without electricity, as well as nearly 2,000 residents in Broward County.
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