Before a hurricane brings more rain, South Florida will see flooding in next few days

South Florida could see serious flooding over the next few days, even before what will be Hurricane Milton crosses the state on Wednesday, and local governments are getting ready.

Its precise path is unclear, but Milton is expected to dump more water on a region already soaked by unrelated rain. Although several areas were already getting doused on Saturday — resulting in several flood advisories for Miami-Dade and Broward — the bulk of the rain is expected Sunday through Wednesday. A flood watch was issued for Miami-Dade, Broward and mainland Monroe Counties, among others, from Saturday through Thursday.

Shawn Bhatti, a meteorologist in the Miami office of the National Weather Service, said South Florida can expect about 5 to 7 inches of rain in that window, but he “couldn’t rule out” the possibility that some small pockets could see 10 or more inches.

Generally, that much rain leads to street flooding in low-lying South Florida, but it probably won’t rise to the occasion of widespread home flooding, like we saw earlier this year, he said.

“There will be widespread rainfall that will be heavy at times. There will be a few neighborhoods that could be flooded,” Bhatti said. “I wouldn’t rule out a few homes flooding.”

He warned residents to prepare for localized or even flash flooding, especially in neighborhoods and roadways that flood regularly.

Read more: More flooding ahead as forecast calls for Milton to hit Florida as a Cat 2 hurricane

Then Milton will pass over Florida on Wednesday. It’s not yet clear where, exactly, the future Hurricane Milton will cross the state. Its path determines how much extra rain South Florida could see. A faster, northern track headed northeast across the state could sprinkle a few more inches on Miami-Dade and Broward. But a slower storm that comes across more south, near Naples, could bring even more rain.

Speed is also a factor, Bhatti said.

“The forecast is pretty consistent on this thing moving through pretty quickly,” he said. “If it’s a little bit slow it could add on to the rainfall.”

Cities prepare

Fort Lauderdale gave out sandbags to residents on Saturday and has self-serve sand stations available every day. The city also placed temporary stormwater pumps and vactor trucks — vehicles that suck excess water off streets — throughout the city to prepare.

North Miami Beach also opened a sandbag distribution on Saturday afternoon.

Miami Beach has city resources available “around the clock for the next several days,” said City Spokesperson Melissa Berthier. The stormwater team cleaned the entire drain system this weekend, including pump stations, and the city deployed nine temporary pumps, plus backup generators, to areas that regularly flood.

That’s in addition to the 48 permanent pumps the city uses. Five additional temporary stormwater pumps are on standby.

‘Starting Monday we will have a total of seven vactor trucks between city forces and contractors working around the city to assist with removing standing water and cleaning stormwater structures,” Berthier said in an email statement to the Herald.

Miami has similar preparations underway, with vactor trucks and temporary pumps ready to deploy when the heavy rains begin, said City Spokesperson Kenia Fallat.

“There are some areas where we have added additional pumps to avoid the excess accumulation of water,” she wrote in an email.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tweeted that she is “closely monitoring” the possibility of flooding this weekend, as well as the potential impacts of Milton.

“Now is the time to review your hurricane checklist and ensure you’re prepared,” she wrote .

Cancellations begin

Multiple scheduled events in Miami-Dade County have been canceled and or postponed due to the weather.

A free music performance in Miami Beach by Luis Bofill for Sunday has been postponed to Thursday Oct. 10. The show will take place at the Normandy Fountain located at 7802 Rue Vendome from 7 to 9 p.m.

The Miami Beach police department canceled their yearly “Night Out” event that was supposed to take place on Tuesday Oct. 8.

A screening of “Haunted Mansion” in Miami Beach on Saturday at Canopy Park has also been canceled.

Everglades National Park canceled their Tuesday “ You are Here: Poetry in Parks” event with U.S poet Laureate Ada Limon. The city of Homestead says the event will now take place in early 2025.

Palmetto Bay had three events scheduled for Sunday that have all been postponed until further notice including their yearly Dottie Barton Harvest Festival, the grand opening of the new Palmetto Bay Artisan Farmers Market and the ribbon cutting for the new Coral Reef Park walking trails.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has not canceled classes but says they are “monitoring the latest information regarding the newly formed tropical depression 14 and its potential impact to Miami-Dade County.”

Sandbag details:

Fort Lauderdale

Self-serve sandbags are available daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Locations:

Floyd Hull Stadium (2800 SW 8th Ave)

Mills Pond Park (2201 NW 9th Ave)

Bring your own sandbags and shovels for self-service during these hours.

Residents must show ID to collect up to 5 sandbags per vehicle.

North Miami Beach

Sunday, Oct. 6, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

1965 NE 151st Street, North Miami Beach

Residents must show ID to collect up to 4 sandbags per household.

Miami Beach

Sunday, Oct. 6 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Municipal lot at 2100 Collins Ave

Municipal lot at 225 79th St.

Residents must show ID to collect up to 4 sandbags per household.