MIAMI (WSVN) - The skies opened up and brought heavy downpours to parts of Miami-Dade County, leading to heavy flooding and a traffic nightmare for drivers.
7News cameras captured vehicles moving slowly across a flooded Biscayne Boulevard in the Omni area, Thursday evening.
Rush hour traffic along this busy stretch of Biscayne turned into gush hour traffic.
While several cars were seen driving through, others stalled out on the street.
“Hey, it happens,” said one of the unfortunate drivers.
7News cameras captured motorists pushing their vehicles near the Checkers on Biscayne, near 17th Street.
Simona Williams was worried she would not be able to get home from work across from the Omni.
“It just don’t make no sense. Like, look at it,” she said.
The usual commute came with terrible tows.
Cameras captured tow trucks removing one stalled car after another from Biscayne Boulevard.
Stranded drivers had stories to share.
Maria Casado said she and her son Wyatt had just visited the Frost Museum, but on their way home, their car gave out.
“The water got very scary, and we saw a bunch of cars on the side of the road, so I decided to turn off, and that’s when the car stopped,” she said.
Mother and son waited for a ride home from her husband.
“Dad is on the way!” said Wyatt.
South of the Omni area, the flooding was just as serious.
Miami Heat fans struggled to reach the FTX Arena to watch their hometown team take on the Washington Wizards.
Over in Wynwood, employees at Mr. Kream crammed what they could under the door to keep their ice cream shop dry.
A flash flood warning was issued for the area until 7:30 p.m.
In Miami Beach, floodwaters also left parts of Collins Avenue looking more like a river, Thursday night.
It was a sight that unsettled visitors like Tom Rudka, who came to South Florida from the Netherlands.
“That’s definitely not something I expected in the Sunshine State, but you take what you get,” he said.
Drivers were forced to wade through the water consuming the edges of the street near Collins and 37th Street.
Pedestrians looking to use the sidewalk on this stretch of road were forced to find another way. Others just took off their shoes and went barefoot through inches of water.
“The drains aren’t very good,” said a passer-by.
It was a similar situation at 10th Street and Meridian Avenue.
Umbrellas may have kept some people’s hair dry, but there was no way around getting their feet wet.
“It was really windy, really rainy,” said Breanna, who is visiting from Rhode Island. “Everybody was like frantic, like they’ve never been in a bad rainstorm before.”
While the rain moved through in a couple of hours, it took a long time for the waters to recede.
Now visitors are hoping for a much-needed change before heading home.
“I’m trying to manifest nice weather, though, because I’m on vacation,” said Breanna.
Cleanup efforts were underway by some businesses, early Friday morning.
Drain cleanup efforts were seen by crew members along the MacArthur Causeway as well.
And it looks like the rain is not going away anytime soon. Meteorologists forecast more soggy weather as a front makes its way through South Florida on Friday.
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