Heavy rain this week has turned parts of Broward County into a watery maze, swallowing roadways, stranding cars in flooded parking lots and sending water into homes and buildings as people waded through deep floodwaters.
Over the past four days the highest rainfall totaled about 13 to 15 inches between Weston and Sunrise, George Rizzuto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said Wednesday.
But there's good news coming: The rain will taper off Wednesday afternoon, and drier air and sunny skies are moving in Thursday through the weekend, he said.
READ MORE: Polling places shift in areas affected by flooding
Other parts of Florida, including Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, have been hit with 15 to 20 inches of rain that has flooded roads and submerged cars. The torrent neared the state's single-day rainfall record, according to ABC News.
According to the Florida Today news site on the Space Coast, National Weather Service officials described the flooding as a "one-in-1,000-year event." Brevard County sheriff's deputies helped more than 100 people caught in rising waters while driving to work or running errands, according to the news outlet.
Crazy flooding as Florida Panthers fans leave the stadium tonight🌊😳| #ONLYinDADE pic.twitter.com/fF9p7elOjT
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) November 3, 2026
'Flooding has tripled'
On Monday night, Florida Panthers fans were met with heavy rain and knee-deep floodwaters after the team's loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Many struggled to reach their cars, while others were forced to abandon them, including fans who parked across the street at Sawgrass Mills mall. The Panthers play again Wednesday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
The mall also experienced significant flooding, delaying its opening until 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
Erich Lachs, a Sunrise public information officer, said there are "no known major road closures or severe incidents on city roadways at this time," in a statement to the Miami Herald late Wednesday morning.
But Nadia Samad, 41, said flooding from days of heavy rain left her unable to leave her Sunrise neighborhood, with water reaching above the bottom of her car door and rising around her home.
Samad, who lives near Sawgrass Mills and minutes from Weston, said the flooding began Monday afternoon, when hours of heavy rain overwhelmed the area.
"Monday afternoon, around 4, it started just pouring and pouring and pouring all the way to maybe like midnight," she said. "So that eight hours of continuous heavy rain, thunder, lightning, but mainly so much water falling in such a short amount of time completely flooded my front yard, backyard."
The flooding has continued to worsen, she said, despite some water initially beginning to recede.
From last night to now, the flooding has tripled," she told the Miami Herald on Wednesday. "The areas that were receding are now completely full."
Officials say floodwaters remain widespread across Broward County, with drainage systems taking time to suck up the excess water.
"Following recent severe rainfall, standing water in swales, lakes and on roadways continues throughout our community, as it does across most of Broward County," Lachs said. "These areas are engineered to hold water temporarily to keep it from entering homes and businesses, and it naturally takes time for water to recede."
Samad said water from a nearby lake has risen to about halfway between the lake and her house. Although floodwaters have not washed into her home, they have reached the parking area.
"The water in front of my house is literally impassable," she said. "I have a smaller car, and it's not going to pass through this water."
She said she was able to drive to a nearby Publix and Western High School on Tuesday, but water was already getting into her car.
She went to Western High School in Davie to vote and said the floodwaters made it into the auditorium.
Samad said she kept her children, ages 12 and 14, home from school Wednesday because of the flooding and the danger of driving through the water.
She said she called her son's school to ask whether he should attend and was told it was her choice. The school also confirmed that there was flooding on campus, she said.
"But how are schools open if they know there is flooding at the campus?" she said. "Our students expected to walk between classes, wet, or through water, so their feet, their shoes, everything is expected to be wet throughout the day."
Samad said she was disappointed with the lack of communication from Sunrise and Broward County, particularly as residents struggle to access groceries and get their children to school.
"I urge the officials to communicate better, do better," she said. Sunrise's Lachs said that crews are deployed throughout the city to monitor drainage and clear debris.
And soon, here comes the sun. Rizzuto, the Miami meteorologist, said that Wednesday morning is "going to be the last kind of hurrah for the rain," he said as chances over for Thursday through Sunday drip to less than 10%.
This story was originally published November 4, 2026 at 12:14 PM.
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