September 25, 2026
South Florida dries out after heavy rains; street flooding eases as weekend turns quieter
After a multi-day deluge that put roughly 10 inches of rain on parts of North Miami Beach and Broward and sparked street flooding and sewer overflows, South Florida is finally getting a drier weekend — while Atlantic Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo remain no threat to Florida.
South Florida is exiting a soggy stretch that left streets flooded and sewer systems overflowing in parts of Miami-Dade and Broward. Insurance Journal reported Friday that communities are hoping to dry out after torrential rains swamped cars and stressed drainage. The Miami Herald, citing preliminary National Weather Service data as of Wednesday, said North Miami Beach and Lighthouse Point had seen about 10 inches of rain over five days, with Fort Lauderdale, North Miami, and Homestead among the hardest-hit spots for flooded streets and cars. NWS Miami reported no widespread structural flooding into buildings from that episode.
Local mitigation helped limit the worst street impacts in some places. Fort Lauderdale deployed four stormwater pumps and vacuum trucks to clear drains, according to the Herald and Insurance Journal; city officials said improved neighborhoods that flooded in 2023 can now handle far more rainfall in a day. Broward cities including Lighthouse Point and Wilton Manors still reported sanitary sewer overflows when intense short-burst rain and high tides exceeded system capacity, spilling untreated sewage into storm drains and nearby waterways.
WSVN’s Friday forecast said a weak front is bringing drier air, northerly winds, and lower rain chances through the weekend, with widespread heavy rain and flooding no longer a concern — though scattered showers remain possible across Southeast Florida. Coastal hazards are rising instead: Atlantic seas of 7–10 feet, a high rip-current risk, and minor coastal flooding around high tide from king tides, the full moon, and elevated swell. Tropical moisture and higher rain chances may return early next week.
Atlantic Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo remain far from Florida. NHC’s Friday evening advisories place Fay about 1,075 miles west-southwest of the Azores with 50 mph winds weakening over open water and no land hazards, and Gonzalo near the northeastern Cabo Verde Islands (about 35 miles south-southeast of Sal) with 50 mph winds under a Tropical Storm Warning for Cabo Verde. Neither system threatens Florida or the U.S. East Coast. If recent street flooding or a wet-season leak has entered a Lakeland-area home or business, prompt extraction and drying limit secondary damage. Florida Restoration Specialists serves Central Florida water damage calls — water damage restoration and water extraction — or call (863) 588-6617.
Sources: Insurance Journal: South Florida hoping to dry out (Sept. 25), Miami Herald: heavy deluge and Broward sewage overflows (Sept. 23), WSVN: drier weekend ahead, coastal concerns grow (Sept. 25), NHC Tropical Storm Fay Advisory Number 23, NHC Tropical Storm Gonzalo Advisory Number 4, NHC home.
