A nearly stationary front began to move slowly northward across South Florida on April 12th, focusing deep moisture over the region. An mid to upper level low pressure over the NW Gulf of Mexico and an upper level jet stream over the eastern Gulf of Mexico contributed to providing the necessary atmospheric forcing for areas of persistent heavy rain and strong thunderstorms across most of SE Florida.

Funnel Cloud in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 15:25:00 to 12-APR-23 15:25:00 (EST-5)
Location: HOLLYWOOD
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Public report of funnel cloud sighted over the Intercoastal Waterway north of Sheridan Street by West Lake Park in Dania Beach. No damage noted.

Funnel Cloud in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 14:40:00 to 12-APR-23 14:40:00 (EST-5)
Location: HOLLYWOOD
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Social Media

A video report was received via social media of a funnel cloud in Dania Beach, between Hollywood Boulevard and Sheridan Street, near the Intercoastal Waterway.

Tornado in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 14:26:00 to 12-APR-23 14:27:00 (EST-5)
Location: WEST HOLLYWOOD
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

A weak tornadic debris signature (TDS) was noted on radar in a slow-moving thunderstorm in Broward County. There was minimal damage found in the area of the noted TDS in western Hollywood. A short-lived, small tornado likely only impacted the tree-top level. It was determined to be a low end EF-0 with estimated peak wind speed around 65 mph.

Tornado in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 20:40:00 to 12-APR-23 20:44:00 (EST-5)
Location: (FLL)FT LAUDRDL INTL
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

A small tornado began in Dania Beach on NE 6th Court just south of Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, causing mainly fence and tree damage to the surrounding neighborhood. The tornado skipped as the parent storm moved WNW across Federal Highway, with the next area of tornado damage noted at a church on NW 5th Avenue and 3rd Terrace where the west edge of the roof peeled and blew off to the east, and the front door facing north was blown in. Extensive tree damage was noted westward along Old Griffin Road next to the Dania Cut-Off Canal, then damaged at least half a dozen mobile homes in the Ocean Waterway community west of Bryan Road and east of I-95. The mobile home damage was in the form of peeled roofs, metal siding torn off, and damaged power poles.
The tornado was rated on the high end of the EF-0 scale based primarily on damage in the mobile home park. A tornadic debris signature (TDS) was also noted on radar with this tornado. Damage totals are estimates.

Flash Flood in MIAMI-DADE, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 12:30:00 to 12-APR-23 16:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: SUNNY IS
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

FIU police provided a report of significant flooding at the FIU Biscayne Bay Campus. There were numerous similar reports of flash flooding from the North Miami Beach and Aventura areas. There were observations of approximately 3 to 5 inches of rain that had fallen in the area at the time of this report.

Flash Flood in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 15:00:00 to 13-APR-23 05:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: WEST HOLLYWOOD
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 28.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

During the afternoon and evening of April 12th, prolific rainfall occurred across southern and central metro Broward County, including the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania Beach, and Wilton Manors. Showers and thunderstorms repeatedly training over this urban corridor brought multiple hours with rainfall rates of 3-6 inches/hour, with total rainfall of 15-25 inches between Noon and Midnight. The highest measured rainfall amount was 25.91 at a WeatherSTEM gauge at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, with 20 inches falling between 4 and 10 PM. This rainfall rate has less than a 0.1% chance of being exceeded in any given year, and the rainfall over most of the Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood areas has an annual exceedance probability of no more than 0.5%.
This extremely rare rainfall led to devastating impacts and crippled neighborhoods for several days. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport was closed for nearly 40 hours due to high standing water. Over 1,100 buildings in Fort Lauderdale suffered damage, with 766 having major damage. Fort Lauderdale City Hall sustained major water damage and was considered a complete loss. At least 38,000 cubic yards of debris was collected in Fort Lauderdale. The city of Hollywood Waste Water plant sustained damage. Damage surveys revealed high water marks of over 3 feet inside homes in the Edgewood and Melrose Park neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale, with 1-2 feet of standing water and high water marks in sections of Dania Beach and Hollywood. About 600 residents were displaced by the flood, with many being rescued from their homes by first responders. 22,000 residents were without power during the peak of the event, with the hardest hit areas remaining without it for days. Port Everglades, which supplies 100% of the fuel for the area (13 million gallons per day), suffered a 50% reduction in distribution due to submerged fuel pumps, with interruptions lasting over 10 days. This led to a fuel shortage across the area, with most South Florida gas stations having to close for days at a time. Nearly one thousand calls were made to local towing companies for abandoned/stranded vehicles in flooded water, with the number of vehicle insurance claims across the area in the thousands.
Damage totals were provided by Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood emergency management officials.

Flood in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 13-APR-23 05:00:00 to 18-APR-23 05:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: (FLL)FT LAUDRDL INTL
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Flooding from the April 12th flash flood event lingered for several days across parts of Fort Lauderdale, including Edgewood, Downtown, Croissant Park, Poinciana Park, and Melrose Park neighborhoods, as well as the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Many of these neighborhoods were stranded and inaccessible for a few days due to deep standing water on streets and inside homes.

Flash Flood in BROWARD, FLORIDA
From 12-APR-23 14:45:00 to 12-APR-23 18:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: LAUDERDALE LAKES
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Report of a vehicle rescued in deep water in the parking lot at Sawgrass Mills Mall. Rainfall reports of 6-7 inches were received from the area.