The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for Palm Beach County as Hurricane Ian progresses into the Gulf of Mexico and begins to turn eastward toward Florida.
They expect tropical storm conditions over Palm Beach County by Wednesday morning. The track of the storm has gradually shifted east, adding the risk of greater wind and rain to the area.
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The rest of coastal South Florida is under a tropical storm watch, and the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the region until 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Monday’s and Tuesday’s downpours combined with king tides Tuesday morning to lead to flooding in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Flooding occurred on Las Olas Boulevard heading to the beach and along State Road A1A.
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An FDOT pump failed in the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel in Fort Lauderdale, causing the northbound lane to be closed while crews added auxiliary pumps. City crews are pumping out water while that work is done, city spokeswoman Ashley Doussard said.
Flooding was particularly bad outside the neighborhood of Coral Way. Traffic signs warned of road flooding on A1A near Southeast Ninth Street as cars slowed to a stop to avoid flooding.
[ FULL COVERAGE: Keep up with the latest hurricane updates ]
Las Olas Boulevard, usually filled with early morning walkers and coffee seekers, was quiet. A few people in ponchos and umbrellas braved gusty winds while others hunkered down at cafes for outdoor breakfasts. Fort Lauderdale Beach was nearly empty.
Students returned to school across Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Tuesday, but all three counties have canceled classes for Wednesday, and Broward and Miami-Dade canceled Thursday classes as well.
The National Weather Service predicts that the storm will slow down in Gulf waters starting Tuesday night, resulting in greater rainfall totals and flood potential over the coming days, both on the east and west coast of Florida.
Since the storm’s forecast track has shifted slightly east, southeast Florida faces a higher risk of heavy rain and damaging winds, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The slowdown will mean more feeder bands for South Florida through Wednesday. The potential intensity of the bands has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tornado watch for all of South Florida lasting until 5 p.m.
“These bands can produce tornadoes at any time, with little or no warning,” said Barry Baxter, meteorologist for the National Weather service. The NWS is calling for 4 to 6 inches of rainfall over the coming days, with isolated areas receiving 10 inches.
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“Yesterday Coral Gables got 3 to 5 inches in just one heavy band,” Baxter said, “so they are dumping pretty good when they come through.”
As bands arrive, “we could see some wind gusts up to near tropical storm force, like 30 to 40 mph,” Baxter said. These gusts are expected over Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties early Wednesday through part of Thursday.
Palm Beach County is under a tropical storm warning, as of the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center update.
At a news conference on Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about evacuations on the west coast of the state, and suggested evacuees consider heading to South Florida. “Go south across Alligator Alley,” he said. “South Florida is doing better.”
Fort Lauderdale hotels are starting to see a trickle of hurricane evacuees from points west. The Delmar Hotel on North Federal Highway reported and uptick in guests from the west coast, and Matt Denson, general manager of the Snooze Hotel on North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard said that he’s seen two couples check in as they fled the storm, one from the Tampa area, and one from Weston, abutting the Everglades.
“Maybe they’re just using it as an excuse to get away, but they did say they wanted to keep going east because of the storm. Evidently they’re right by the Everglades.”
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“I would expect it,” he said of the possibility of more evacuees booking stays.
Commercial airline traffic remained largely on schedule at South Florida’s airports, including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Palm Beach International and Miami International.
In a website statement, the Broward County Aviation Department said it “continues to monitor Hurricane Ian’s development and path.” Officials advised travelers that if they are flying this week, they should contact their airlines for the latest flight status before heading to the airport.
Most flight disruptions Tuesday involved international trips to Caribbean area destinations, including Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Jamaica, according to online data provided by the airport.
JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines canceled their morning and afternoon flights to Havana, Cuba, as the storm passed over the island.
Several JetBlue flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti were listed as delayed.
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Elsewhere in Florida, Southwest said it canceled all flights for Thursday at Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers.
American Airlines, which serves all three South Florida international airports and a variety of other Florida destinations, said it is waiving change fees to passengers traveling to, through or from 16 cities in Florida.
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The same applies to Caribbean destinations including Grand Cayman, Havana, Cuba, and Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Fees are waived if customers:
- Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
- Are booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy
- Bought their ticket by Sept. 23, 2022
- Are scheduled to travel Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, 2022
- Can travel Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, 2022
- Don’t change their origin or destination city
- Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
Even though Hurricane Ian is not predicted to hit South Florida directly, its power and effects can be a threat to pets. Experts recommend keeping your pets inside before, during and after the storm, and keep them away from floodwater — it can be contaminated with both harmful chemicals and sewage.
Make sure you have plenty of pet food, and include their water needs in your calculation of how much water you might need in case of an emergency. A two-week supply of food, water and any medications is recommended.
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Experts also recommend keeping a hard copy of emergency phone numbers for veterinarian, animal shelters and friends/relatives, and a photo of you and your pet together (to help prove the pet is yours), and one with the pet by itself, showing any distinguishing marks that will help with identification.
Staff writers Amber Bonefont, David Lyons and Susannah Bryan contributed to this report.
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.