Flooding at Fort Lauderdale Airport Causes Cancellations

Hundreds of flights were canceled after a storm dropping more than 25 inches of rain prompted the airport to temporarily shut down operations.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 04:45 PM ET

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By Thursday morning, more than 300 flights had been canceled at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL) because of the rising water. [Screenshot courtesy of National Weather Service]

Key Takeaways:

A severe storm dropped over 25 inches of rain in 24 hours, causing catastrophic flooding across southern Florida.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL) was forced to close, leading to over 300 flight cancellations and making surrounding roads and airport facilities impassable due to extensive flooding.
The widespread flooding resulted in the closure of all schools in Broward County, with officials warning residents across South Florida to stay off roads as more severe weather was expected.

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A storm dropping more than 25 inches of rain in 24 hours has swamped southern Florida, leading to the closure of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). The storm stalled over the Bahamas, creating an unlikely weather event for the region.

By Thursday morning, more than 300 flights had been canceled because of the rising water, according to aviation tracking site FlightAware. Travelers were warned not to try to enter or leave the airport as the roads surrounding it were impassable because of the flooding.