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Eta Leaves Behind A Drenched South Florida With Water, Water Everywhere

Flooded streets in Plantation
James Govin
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Twitter
Flooding in Plantation by the Fort Lauderdale Country Club.

Tropical Storm Eta is gone for now, sitting firmly west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

While the rain and wind have gradually wound down, too, there's still a threat of rain and flooding.

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Robert Molleda, the National Weather Service’s chief warning coordination meteorologist said, "the rains in southeast Florida have stopped for now."

"So that's good news, but we still have gusty winds. Nothing of course like what we had last night or yesterday," Molleda said.

He said to expect gusts of up to 30 to 35 mph. Something that will “more closely [represent] a typical windy day than a tropical storm."

Read More: Uncertainty High On Tropical Storm Eta's Next Move In The Gulf

Still, many on Monday woke up to find streets flooded and canals overflowing. Places like Allapattah and downtown Miami reported major flooding, according to the city of Miami.

Occasional broken branches and toppled trees were spotted, too. The worst of the storm's impacts in South Florida could be found in southern Broward and northern Miami-Dade.

In Lauderhill, one driver was rescued from his sinking car by divers Sunday night after the roads became so flooded it became difficult to distinguish the road from canals.

Another driver, a 57-year old man, ran into the same issue. He was driving on Interstate 75 south, near Weston, when he also drove into a canal and did not survive — according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

In Brickell, cars were abandoned in the middle of intersections as more than a foot of water inundated the street. And a new pump station installed to deal with rising seas in Brickell was shut down during repairs. The city bought two temporary pumps that were less effective.

And in Key Largo, parts of U.S. 1 were closed early Monday because of downed trees and power lines. They’ve since been cleared.

Something else Molleda noted before noon Monday — rain bands aren’t totally over.

"Periods of heavy rain bands will continue to affect portions of southern Florida through Tuesday. Flood threat to continue through at least Tuesday. Gusty winds 40 miles per hour or higher in rain bands today, gradually diminishing tonight and Tuesday," said Molleda. "Coastal flooding possible today, with possibly a lingering threat for the Gulf coast throughout the week. Lingering rain, gusty winds, and rough marine conditions for most of the week as Eta drifts northward over the eastern Gulf."

Here’s more of what South Floridians saw over the weekend:

Caitie Muñoz, formerly Switalski, leads the WLRN Newsroom as Director of Daily News & Original Live Programming. Previously she reported on news and stories concerning quality of life in Broward County and its municipalities for WLRN News.
Jenny Staletovich is WLRN's Environment Editor. She has been a journalist working in Florida for nearly 20 years. Contact Jenny at jstaletovich@wlrnnews.org
Katie Lepri Cohen is WLRN's engagement editor. Her work involves distributing and amplifying WLRN's journalism on social media, managing WLRN's social accounts, writing and editing newsletters, and leading audience-listening efforts. Reach out via email at klcohen@wlrnnews.org.
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