Parts of southern Florida were hit by heavy rain, local flooding and wind on Saturday, with the storm system that previously hit Mexico moving across the state. Flooding rains also threatened the northwestern Bahamas.
Authorities in Miami have warned drivers about road conditions as several cars were stranded on flooded streets.
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Traveling is not recommended during these conditions. It is best to wait. Turn around and do not drown,” said Miami City Tweeted.
The city pulled flood-hit vehicles off the roads. At least one tree has fallen on a house on Pompeo Beach, displacing its occupants CBS Miami.
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The National Hurricane Center in Miami was once known as the Storm Agatha In the Pacific Ocean, when a tropical storm reaches its level, it is called Alex in the Atlantic Ocean bed.
At 8:00 PM ET, the epicenter was reported 105 miles northeast of Fort Pierce, Florida, and about 885 miles westwest of Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center said it was moving northeast at 18 mph with winds of up to 45 mph.
The tropical storm is expected to reach the east coast of Florida by Saturday night, and is expected to intensify Monday as it moves away from Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean.
In Cuba, the storm killed three people, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and cut off electricity in some areas, officials said. Heavy rain continued on Saturday, but continued to decline as the weather system moved away from the island.
Miami-Date County Mayor Daniela Levine Kawa said most government services, such as bus routes and trains, are scheduled to operate as usual over the weekend. Canals have been lowered to reduce flooding due to heavy rains in South Florida.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on Tuesday. This is an unusually early start to the storm season, but not unprecedented for Florida.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in southern Florida, including the Florida Keys. The storm was not expected to produce big winds or big storm surges. But local flooding is likely.
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