Mark H. BickelFort Myers News-Press
The News-Press is monitoring the weather today in Lee County. Here' what to know:
Governor DeSantis declares state of emergency for Lee, Collier
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday declared a "major state of emergency" for Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties after heavy rains swamped much of the southern part of the state, causing significant flooding.
The move came in anexecutive orderissued by the governor Wednesday evening.
Gladiolus and Summerlin intersection flooded, impassable
Drivers should steer clear of the Gladiolus Drive and Summerlin Road intersection in south Fort Myers, per the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The roadways are covered with flood waters, the results of two days of intense rain in the area.
A sheriff's office Facebook post said the agency is working with county partners to address the situation. "Utilize other routes and be mindful of standing water along alternate routes as well," it said.
What's happening with the rain event in the City of Fort Myers?
In Fort Myers, City Councilman Lin Bochette said as of Wednesday, things still looked good.
“We escaped the potential damage of such a hard rain,” he said. “First, our storm drains worked very well, second, we didn't have a high tide surge, third, the bands allowed for significant run off. Sarasota got it far worse than Fort Myers did.”
Bochette sees the storm as an important reminder to get ready for the real thing: hurricane season. “The hurricane center has been warning us. We need to alert our citizens how to prepare *now,* he said.
What's happening with the rain event on Sanibel?
Early Wednesday afternoon, Sanibel announced flooding had temporarily closed parking lots at Blind Pass and Lighthouse Beach Park and said it would announce the re-openings. At Lighthouse Beach on the gulfside parking lot is closed. The bayside lots remain open, Jackson said.
What's happening with the rain event on Cape Coral?
Despite early morning and midday downpours across Southwest Florida, Cape Coral Fire and Police have said they currently have no road closures or reports of flooding in the Cape.
"If you come across standing water, as the saying goes, 'turn around, don't drown,'" said Cape Coral Police public affairs officer Lisa Greenberg. "It's always hard to tell how deep it is."
Statement from Florida Power & Light about rain event
FPL is actively responding to outages as severe weather, including heavy wind gusts, possible tornados, flooding, and lightning continues to movethrough Florida. We encourage our customers to keep safety top of mind, especially in flooded areas. For up-to-date information regarding outages, customers can visit FPL.com or download the FPL Mobile App.
Where to expect flooding to occur in Lee County today
At 11:28 a.m., doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This will cause urban and small stream flooding. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen.
- Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are expected over the area.
- This additional rain will result in minor flooding.
- Some locations that will experience flooding include: Fort Myers, Southwest Florida Airport, East Dunbar, Villas, Pine Manor, Buckingham, San Carlos Park, Three Oaks, Cypress Lake, McGregor, Harlem Heights, Olga, Iona, Charleston Park, Gateway, Page Park, Page Field Airport, Fort Myers Villas, Whiskey Creek and Tice.
Wednesday's weather forecast: How much more rain will we get in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Florida?
According to AccuWeather:
- THIS MORNING: Expect more showers and thunderstorms from the tropical rainstorm as well as areas of flooding with difficult travel likely.
- THIS AFTERNOON: It will be mostly cloudy and humid with showers and thunderstorms.
- FLOOD ADVISORIE/WARNINGS: Check the National Weather Service for conditions where you live.
More: Weather Words: 10 creative ways we've heard experts describe all of this rain in Florida
3 links to weather-related stories for you: flooding, safety tips and more
- FINDING YOUR FLOOD ZONE-LEE COUNTY: Here
- WHAT'S CLOSED, CANCELED, POSTPONED: Here
- TAX-FREE SUPPLIES INFO: Here
- AIRPORT STATUS: Here
Video: Rain hammer Gateway in Fort Myers
Heavy rain hammering Florida including Naples and Fort Myers.
The tropical air mass is dumping significant amounts of rain on Southwest Florida this week.
More weather emergency notifications and resources for Lee County
During emergencies or larger disasters it is important that residents and visitors stay informed.Lee County Emergency Management has multiple waysfor you to get the mostupdated disaster-related information through its AlertLee mass notification systems that is connected to phone, text, email and social media.
Lee County Emergency Management (LCEM) administers and maintains the AlertLee mass notification system for the purpose of alerting citizens to natural and man-made emergencies.
More details:Here
