Coral Springs gets a brief break from heavy rain after September rainfall tops 20 inches near the city
Coral Springs, Florida – Coral Springs is heading into the final days of September after an unusually wet stretch that has already pushed monthly rainfall to more than 20 inches near the city. For residents who have spent much of the month watching heavy rain and dealing with repeated flood concerns, the forecast finally offers a short break.
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, located about seven miles southeast of central Coral Springs, recorded 20.33 inches of rain between Sept. 1 and Sept. 23, according to NOAA data. That total is already far above the station’s normal September rainfall of 8.13 inches.
It is also the wettest full September recorded at the airport since its weather records began in 1998. The previous September record was 15.94 inches, measured in 2001. With a week still left in the month, the September total could increase further.
A large share of the rain arrived during one particularly wet period. Between Sept. 16 and Sept. 23, the airport recorded 10.60 inches. The repeated downpours also led the National Weather Service to issue flood advisories for Coral Springs on five days this month — Sept. 2, 7, 12, 18 and 22.
Rainfall totals around the city show how widespread the recent wet weather has been. During the five-day period ending the morning of Sept. 23, a gauge about one mile south-southeast of Coral Springs recorded 5.74 inches. Another gauge roughly one mile west-southwest of the city measured 3.07 inches, according to preliminary National Weather Service totals.
The unusually wet conditions are not limited to September. Coral Springs and surrounding areas have also had a wetter-than-normal year overall.
Through Sept. 23, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport had recorded 51.04 inches of rain since Jan. 1. A typical year at that point would have produced about 42 inches. For comparison, the normal rainfall for an entire year at the airport is about 56.50 inches.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has also seen extraordinary rainfall. It recorded 20.77 inches between Sept. 1 and Sept. 23, making it the wettest September in that station’s records, which extend back to 1912, according to NOAA data.
Now, however, conditions are expected to become somewhat calmer.
A weak cold front moving through South Florida on Friday is expected to bring north winds and drier air, according to the weather service. The change should lower rain chances across Coral Springs and provide residents with several days of relatively more settled weather.
Friday’s forecast calls for a high temperature of 87 degrees and a 40% chance of storms. Most of those storms are expected between about 1 and 5 p.m. Temperatures should fall into the low 70s overnight.
Saturday is expected to remain warm, with another high near 87 degrees. There will be about a 30% chance of storms, mainly after 2 p.m. By Sunday, conditions should become even drier, with mostly sunny skies, a high around 86 degrees and only about a 10% chance of rain.
People planning to spend time along the coast, however, will have another weather-related concern. The National Weather Service has issued a rip current statement for coastal Broward County from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, with a high risk of rip currents expected through the weekend.
Beachgoers should also be aware that king tides and the full moon could contribute to minor saltwater flooding along coastal areas. Even with the lower rainfall chances inland, coastal conditions may therefore remain unsettled.
The drier weather will not last indefinitely. Forecasters expect rain chances to rise again to between 60% and 80% by Tuesday as tropical moisture moves back into South Florida. That portion of the forecast remains uncertain, however, and conditions could change as the system develops.
For now, Coral Springs residents are getting a few days to dry out after one of the wettest Septembers in the area’s recent weather record. The weekend forecast brings lower rain chances, more sunshine and a welcome pause before wetter conditions may return next week.
