Hurricane Ian: South Florida Braces For Tornadoes, Heavy Rains, Flooding

MIAMI, FL — As millions of residents on the southwest coast brace for the arrival of Hurricane Ian, the far-reaching effects of the storm brought tornadoes, wind, and rain to Miami-Dade and other south Florida counties Tuesday — and more is on the way.

The south Florida region, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, remains under a tropical storm warning and tornado watch Wednesday as Ian approaches the state. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Ian’s eye is expected to make landfall between Venice and Fort Myers, causing a storm surge of up to 16 feet, the National Hurricane Center predicted.

Now a Category 4 hurricane, Ian could be one of the worst to hit Florida in a century, according to NHC meteorologists.

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Despite Ian's proximity to Florida's southeast coast, the storm's effects will extend far beyond the center of the system, the National Weather Service predicts.

On Tuesday, two tornadoes tore through Broward County, uprooting trees in Cooper City and flipping planes in Pembroke Pines, the Miami Herald reported. The first tornado formed just before 7:30 p.m. while the second was confirmed nearly an hour later.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 5 p.m. Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, the threat of tornadoes embedded in showers and thunderstorms within the outer rainbands of Hurricane Ian will persist throughout the day.

Since the storm’s forecast track has shifted to the east, south Florida faces an increased risk of heavy rain and damaging winds, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

The entirety of south Florida can expect tropical-storm conditions Wednesday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. Major flooding is possible through Thursday morning.

"The storm is moving very slowly, so conditions are not going to get better any time soon," National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Reynes told the Sun-Sentinel. "It’s going to take all day and all night. We can expect rain bands on and off and some of them can have a wind gust up to tropical-storm force. The showers that move slowly can become a potential for localized flooding in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties."

South Florida is also under a flood watch through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Four to 6 inches of rain have fallen over the past couple of days, according to NWS, and an additional 2 to 4 inches is expected over the coming days. Some areas could see up to 8 inches of additional rainfall.

Rainfall earlier this week combined with king tides Tuesday morning already led to flooding in downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Meanwhile, storm surge risk for much of the tri-county area remains minimal while winds could potentially reach up to 57 mph, the NWS reported.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 36,000 customers were without power in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, according to PowerOutage.US.

While Miami International Airport remains open, FlightAware.com shows 45 percent of outbound flights and 42 percent of inbound flights have been canceled Wednesday. In Fort Lauderdale, 34 percent of outbound and 38 percent of inbound flights have been canceled. Check flight statuses here.