The South Florida Water Management District has been closely monitoring a tropical low pressure system that could bring above-average rainfall to South Florida starting Tuesday, Aug. 22, and lasting most of the week.
In preparation for the system, known as Invest 92, regional canals are being lowered to to provide maximum flood protection for South Florida's 8.1 million residents and move water as quickly as possible, accepting any excess stormwater from local canals operated by drainage districts and local governments.
"Our system has been prepped ahead of time and is ready to accept the incoming rainfall stemming from this latest tropical disturbance," said SFWMD Chief Engineer John Mitnik. "We urge all residents to make sure their own properties are free of obstructions that would block water from exiting through local drains and swales."
Approximately 1-3 inches of rain is forecast to fall on areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, as much as 4 inches of rain has been forecast in some areas of the Lower East Coast.
See the District's video on this page.
8/21/17 Weather Update: Invest 92 from SFWMD on Vimeo.
SFWMD opened tidal structures and lowered canals in Broward and Miami-Dade counties over the weekend and is doing the same in Palm Beach County Monday.
Discharges to tide and to the South Dade Conveyance System are at maximum allowable levels given downstream conditions from the Water Conservation Areas, where heavy June and July rainfalls have created a high water emergency.
You can bookmark this SFWMD web page for updates and resources to stay prepared, including:
- Information on how South's Florida's three-tiered flood control system works
- Weather-related data to track the potential impact of storms
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- Contacts for water control districts and local governments that operate your local canals.
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