Rainfall deluge shutting down Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Trains, bus and planes halted

The severe rain bomb that triggered an “exceedingly rare” flash flood emergency — meant for catastrophic showers — in multiple South Florida cities shut down universities, government agencies and transit systems on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service issued the emergency alert for portions of southern Broward and northern Miami-Dade Counties. Four flash flood warnings are still active for various areas across the region.

Aside from a slew of closures due to flooding, power outages are impacting residents, too. According to FPL, Miami-Dade had more than 10,000 outages at one point, with Broward exceeding 1,000. As of 8 p.m., the state’s largest power utility company reported a little under 300 outages in both counties.

What’s closed in Miami-Dade?

Miami-Dade’s transit system warned riders Wednesday afternoon that the deluge was causing delays on most routes, including for Metrorail and Metromover.

Eastbound and westbound county transit buses have been delayed since 3:30 p.m. Additionally, Tri-Rail operations have been partially halted as the tracks between the Metrorail Transfer and Miami Central stations were shut down.

Amid the closures, Tri-Rail officials are advising commuters to take the Metrorail between those stations.

Brightline shares the same tracks with Tri-Rail, making the intercity rail route susceptible to similar shutdowns. The Miami Herald confirmed that Brightline service between its Miami and Aventura stations has been suspended because of the torrential rain. The high-speed train company is arranging bus services for passengers to traverse between the two stations.

Travelers posted videos of water on the tracks on X.

As of 4:40 p.m., Miami International Airport canceled 221 flights and delayed 165 others, which is 53% of all the flights at the airport Wednesday, said Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.

Beyond transportation systems, Miami-Dade College and Florida International University canceled their evening classes, citing inclement weather. FIU also has closed several campuses, including the one in Biscayne Bay.

What about Broward?

All Broward County libraries and a few government services, such as animal care and the medical examiner’s office, have been closed.

The county has not said whether buses or other transit have been halted.

Some major Broward cities, including Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, have also closed administrative offices completely or partially.

The deluge forced the closure of Interstate 95 at Griffin Road, causing hours of traffic as commuters entered rush hour seeking alternative routes that also experienced flooding.

READ MORE: Miami, Fort Lauderdale airports see hours-long delays as heavy rain swamps the region

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, as of 6:11 p.m., there have been 158 delays and 273 cancellations., according to FlightAware, a flight tracker.

Broward College announced its evening classes were canceled, and at least one campus was closed.

Miami Herald Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.