Flood watches extended for Broward and Miami-Dade through Wednesday as forecast calls for more rain

The rain still isn’t over for South Florida.

Flood watches for Broward and Miami-Dade County have been extended through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said Tuesday evening.

What became Tropical Storm Alex drenched South Florida over the weekend, leaving as much as 15 inches of rain in some areas. With the ground already saturated, the 1 to possibly 5 inches of rain in the forecast over the next day could cause flooding if water levels don’t recede, National Weather Service Miami meteorologist Robert Garcia said.

Broward and Miami-Dade remain under flood watches through Wednesday night as the forecast calls for more rain, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service Miami)

By Tuesday evening, the majority of South Florida had already seen another inch-and-a-half to 3 inches of rain since about 4 a.m., Garcia said. Parts of southwestern Broward saw as much as 5 inches of rain.

That’s in addition to the 6 to 12 inches the tropical system brought to the region on Friday and Saturday. Some places, such as Hollywood and Margate, received as much as 15 inches.

“I’m hoping that [things] might quiet down and we may, hopefully, not accumulate any more,” Garcia said.

But the Wednesday forecast for Fort Lauderdale calls for a 67% chance of rain and a 63% chance in Miami. Forecasters are predicting thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and a continued chance of showers and thunderstorms until midnight.

Garcia said areas east of Florida’s Turnpike have a greater risk of potential flooding after the heavy rains there Friday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service said that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations” and possible “extensive street flooding.”

Repeated storms hanging over the area, Garcia said, could mean “problems in most of the urban core, especially in Dade and Broward.”

Though thunderstorms and showers are expected Thursday, too, Garcia said it is too early to tell whether the flood watches may again be extended.