Soaked Florida east coast still under flood advisories. More rain, flooding possible Friday

The east coast of Florida remains under a coastal flood advisory after two storms battled it out to see which one could dump more water on the state.

A storm blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico rained across the state and converged on the southeastern part of the state, AccuWeather said, where it combined with a disturbance forming there to bring downpours and nearly-tropical-force winds to South Florida from Wednesday night through Friday morning. Localized flooding for the near foot of rain that fell in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area stranded motorists and knocked out power for over 120,000 customers in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Coast counties.

Power has largely been restored in the storm-swept areas. As of Friday morning, only 13,173 customers remained without power across the state. But flooding remains a problem.

"Due to the locally heavy rainfall of the past day, the local water table is starting to rise, and drainage basins and water retention areas are beginning to fill up," said NWS lead meteorologist Tim Sedlock. "Because of this, the threat for temporary inundation of urban, low-lying, and poorly drained areas is successively increasing, and is likely to occur more quickly.|

The beaches along the coast are still dangerous, with large breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet possible in east central Florida and up to 7 to 10 feet up by the northeast coast, the NWS said. There is a moderate to high risk of numerous, strong, life-threatening rip currents at all central Florida Atlantic beaches through the weekend. Hazardous boating conditions and small craft advisories are expected to continue into Saturday even after the winds gradually subside today. There is a gale warning in effect for the waters south of St. Augustine into Volusia County until 10 a.m.

Will it rain in Florida for Thanksgiving National Weather Service, AccuWeather forecasts

Beach erosion: Beaches expected to take a hit again from two-day storm that pounded Treasure Coast

Will we get more rain in Florida Friday?

More heavy rain is expected today over the east-central and northeast Peninsula, especially northeast of Lake Okeechobee — where localized rainfall amounts approaching 10 inches were observed Thursday evening — northward to the Atlantic coast south of Jacksonville. The showers are expected to taper off as the main low-pressure system moves out to sea, the National Weather Service said.

Where else and when could it flood in Florida?

A coastal flood advisory is in effect in coastal Miami-Dade County north to Palm Coast till 1 p.m. today, from the southern Brevard barrier islands north to coastal Volusia County till early Saturday morning, and for coastal Flagler north to Nassau County till 5 p.m. this afternoon.

The St. Johns River at Astor is now around 3 feet, which the NWS calls a moderate flood stage, and is forecast to gradually drop back into minor flood stage later tonight.

South Florida slammed: High winds pound Palm Beach County with wind gusts of up to 60 mph possible

How many Florida customers are without power?

As of 7 a.m. Friday, there were 8,065 customers without power in Miami-Dade County, 1,451 in Palm Beach County, and 7,357 in Broward.

Is there a hurricane coming to Florida?

No, but there may be a tropical storm passing by. According to the National Hurricane Center, a potential tropical cyclone has formed that may become a tropical depression or possibly Tropical Storm Vince later today or tonight and drench Jamacia, Cuba and Haiti as it moves across the Caribbean. But there is currently no threat to Florida, the NWS said.

Will it rain on Thanksgiving in Florida?

There's probably more rain coming next week, but it should be clear by Thursday, forecasters said. NOAA's latest 6-10 day outlook there's a 50-60% chance of above-normal precipitation next week across most of the state thanks to a trough over the eastern U.S., with a 40-50% chance of above-normal precipitation in the Panhandle.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 70s to low 80s with overnight temps in the 40s in North Florida and the 60s in the South.

What does AccuWeather predict for Thanksgiving weather?

For the holiday, AccuWeather predicts sunny or cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s for North Florida and the Panhandle, the high 60s for Central Florida, the high 60s for Southwest Florida and the mid-70s for South Florida.

What does the Farmers Almanac predict for Thanksgiving weather in Florida?

According to the Almanac, it'll be time to "cuddle up with some hot apple cider!" Conditions for the Southeast, including Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, are expected to be fair but cold. "Cold" being relative for the Sunshine State, of course.

The Almanac has predicted a return to cooler weather in its 2023-2024 winter forecast, with a greater chance of rain for the southeast.

"The Southeast and Florida will see a wetter-than-normal winter, with average winter temperatures overall, but a few frosts may send many shivers to snowbirds trying to avoid the cold and snow back home," the Farmers' Almanac predicted.

The Old Farmers' Almanac, a competitor, predicts warm weather and scattered showers for Nov. 23-30.

What did the Farmers' Almanac predict for Thanksgiving weather around the country?

If you'll be traveling for the holidays, here's what you can expect to run into, according to the Farmers' Almanac:

• Northeast & New England: New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C. should see "mostly fair but cold weather."

• Great Lakes, Ohio Valley & Midwest: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin may see rain and possibly snow beforehand but see a "mostly fair but cold Thanksgiving."

• North Central: Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana may get hit with light snow in the Rockies before the holiday, followed by a heavy snowfall in the Nebraska and Dakotas area.

• South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico should see a "clear and cold" holiday, with some stormy weather from the west.

• Northwest: Washington, Oregon, and Idaho may see "rain and wet snow."

• Southwest: California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona may be getting a "rainy Thanksgiving," the Almanac said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida rain, flooding continues Friday as storm system moves up coast