How wet did it get? It’s not even summer — but Miami just broke a record
More than three inches of rain fell on Miami Thursday, setting a record for the date.
According to the National Weather Service, monitors at Miami International Airport swallowed 3.49 inches of rainfall, a record for the day.
The previous March 30 rainfall record was set in 1906 when 2.68 inches soaked Miami.
Where it was wettest
Miami apparently hogged all the much-needed water.
According to WSVN 7 meteorologist Jackson Dill, most other areas of South Florida barely got any rain.
Fort Lauderdale drank a mere 0.02 inches. Homestead took in 0.03 inches. Hialeah lapped up 0.04 inches. West Kendall went for 0.17 inches and Pompano Beach pulled in 0.45 inches.
Weekend forecast
KNOW MORE: Is the rain coming back? What the Miami forecast says
Friday brings a reprieve from the rain, with a forecast of clear, breezy skies and a high of about 80 and lows in the mid-70s for Miami. Wind gusts will top 20 mph, the weather service said.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be a little warmer with a 20% rain or thunderstorm chance. The chance of rain is slightly higher in Fort Lauderdale Saturday night and Monday, at 30%.
Mostly dry skies return Tuesday through Thursday.
East Coast beaches, including in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, have elevated rip currents through Saturday evening. The rip currents return later next week, according to the weather service.
The Florida Keys will be warmer with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the mid-70s on the weekend into the workweek, with a 10% chance of rain Saturday to Monday. A small craft advisory covers all Florida Keys coastal waters.
NOAA’s all-time wettest day
As wet as 3.49 inches sounds, that’s spittle compared to Miami’s all-time wettest day.
According to Extreme Weather Watch, 14.49 inches pounded Miami on April 25, 1979. Fort Lauderdale saw 14.6 inches of rain on that day 44 years ago and Boca Raton was bombarded with nearly 18 inches.
The Palm Beach Post led its newspaper report the next day with the headline, “Into every life water fell and fell.”
The New York Times went with “Flooding mounts as rainfall in Miami is heaviest ever” on page A21 in its edition dated April 26, 1979.
The reason for that deluge? An area of low pressure over the eastern Gulf of Mexico interacted with a large high pressure system over the western Atlantic, the Post reported.
