Saturday storms bring hurricane-force gusts to Fort Lauderdale airport and other woes

Howard Cohen
·3 min read

Saturday’s nasty weather led to a hurricane-force wind gust at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a partial roof collapse in Broward, and reports of hail and flooded roadways extending from far South Miami-Dade through Lake Worth.

South Florida’s rough weather since Wednesday is largely attributed to a Gulf of Mexico system that grew into Tropical Storm Arlene Friday afternoon. Though Arlene weakened to a tropical depression Saturday morning as it headed toward Cuba it sent

According to the National Weather Service in Miami a gust of 83 mph was reported at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Saturday afternoon.

To hit hurricane speed, sustained winds need to measure 74 mph or greater.

Tropical storm-force winds are sustained speeds of 39 to 73 mph. FLL notched additional gusts of 69 and 72 mph in that severe afternoon thunderstorm, the weather service said.

Widespread wind reports of 40 to 50 mph across parts of the east coast metro area did some damage elsewhere.

Roof collapse

Two families are displaced after storms ripped through West Park in Broward County, leading to a partial collapse of a duplex apartment’s roof in the 5400 block of Southwest 31st Street on Saturday afternoon, June 3, 2023.
Two families are displaced after storms ripped through West Park in Broward County, leading to a partial collapse of a duplex apartment’s roof in the 5400 block of Southwest 31st Street on Saturday afternoon, June 3, 2023.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews responded to a partial roof collapse call at a duplex apartment in the 5400 block of Southwest 31st Street in West Park.

When firefighters arrived, they found several residents standing outside the wind- and rain-battered single-story apartment building.

Video showed the destruction after the storm. “Sadly, the home is uninhabitable until a structural inspector can respond out to assess the damage and repairs made,” Battalion Chief Michael Kane said in a news release.

Two families were displaced. The Red Cross is providing temporary assistance, Kane said. There were no reported injuries.

‘Hollywood hurricane’

A viewer tagged NBC6 meteorologists video of rains and winds whipping through a Hollywood neighborhood Saturday afternoon. “It’s like a hurricane over here,” Emilio Gonzalez tweeted in a post shared by the weather service.

CBS12 meteorologist Jennifer Collins posted video of street flooding on Military Trail North between Lake Worth Road and 10th Avenue in Palm Beach County.

And severe thunderstorm warnings dotted the day from Homestead to Lake Worth.

As a result, the weather service extended its flood watch for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach from Saturday to Sunday midnight given the amount of rain on Saturday.

“Less overall coverage of showers and storms is expected tomorrow, but any additional rainfall on top of what we’ve already seen will cause flooding,” the weather service said.