More Rain Drenches Soggy South Florida
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The morning commute was a soggy mess Monday as an annoying persistent low pressure system continued to pump rain into South Florida, drenching Miami-Dade with record rainfall Sunday, sparking a flood watch Monday, and rocking the Keys with thunderstorms. Forecasters say don't look for change today.
"Its not really beach weather, but we're making the most of it," said Kerrin Pryor, a tourist walking down Lincoln Road in a poncho as she clung to her umbrella.
The National Weather Service has put a flood watch into effect for most of South Florida through Monday night. Already, areas where there is traditionally poor drainage have seen minor flooding, and travel has been made miserable by drenching rains that at time seem more like monsoons.
CBS4 meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said we are surrounded by deep tropical moisture funneled into our area by a wave of low pressure near the Bahamas. Monday afternoon expect pockets of heavy rain and gusty wind. Monday night the pattern should begin to shift which will allow the moisture to gradually move away.
On Tuesday there will still be good chance of showers and breezy conditions, but the clouds should break up enough to squeeze in some limited sunshine. The pattern will continue to improve throughout the week with lots of sun predicted by late week.
Sunday, a new record for rainfall was set at Miami International Airport, with 2.89 inches of rain falling in 24 hours. That broke the old record set in 2011 by 3 tenths of a percent.
That drenching caused the cancellation of Day 2 of the Lauderdale Air Show, with major losses for show organizers and businesses in the area.
The South Florida Water Management District said the rainfall was welcome, coming as it does before the start of the official rainy season, but cautioned that this would not be enough to change the overall rainfall deficit that has caused the region to be place on year-round water restrictions.
You'd think the rain would be good for farmers, but don't expect that from Robert Moehling, who owns a roadside fruit market called "Robert is Here" in Florida City.
"It's tough. My tourist business is mainly from the Everglades National Park and its pretty rough. You gotta be a devout tourist to go watch the alligators in the rain,"said Moehling.
"So those people don't come out here and last weekend our locals didn't travel cause it was just miserable on the road."
His fruit farm down the road is also hurting. Jackfruit and mangos litter the ground, all casualties from the strong wind.
"This year has been exceptionally windy," said Brandon Moehling, Robert's son. "It's been bad. It's been a lot of wind."
Ironically, CBS4 meteorologists hosted thousands of South Florida school children Monday morning for Weather Day, an annual event held in cooperation with the Miami Marlins to help get children interested in weather.
In past years, the event has been held at Dolphins Stadium, but a certain rain-out was averted because this year's Weather Day was held at the new Marlins Park, where a dome protected Weather Day from the weather.
