Flood Safety and Preparedness

Flooding in West Palm Beach, Florida, Covers Roads, Creating Dangerous Situation for Drivers

Heavy rainfall in South Florida flooded roads and caused major travel headaches Tuesday afternoon, especially in Palm Beach.

Some Weather Underground rain gauges measured nearly nine inches of rain – a fairly common occurrence in that part of Florida. But when the rain falls that rapidly on roadways, it can create trouble quickly.

"Winds in the upper atmosphere are spreading tropical moisture from a Bay of Campeche disturbance all the way into South Florida, contributing to some very heavy localized downpours ahead of a cold front," said weather.com meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. "Several Weather Underground weather sensors in West Palm beach reported 6 to 9 inches of rain in less than 4 hours."

(MORE: Here's Why More Rain May Be Coming)

Flood advisories were issued and several roads and intersections had to be closed, according to the Palm Beach Post. In the areas where the worst street flooding was observed, some cars were stalled in the high water.

WPTV says there were also several crashes on Interstate 95 during the flood event, though the report didn't specify whether the accidents were weather-related. The advisories and warnings were canceled by the evening.

A collection of social media images from flooding eyewitnesses can be seen below.

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