Florida weather

As summer-like heat builds this week across the Sunshine State, an approaching cold front is expected to result in widespread storms by Wednesday.

The weather could possibly include winds over 70 MPH, golf ball-sized hail or larger, and isolated tornadoes.

The historic flooding caused damage at a dozen schools, but the nine that suffered the worst were in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood.

Fort Lauderdale's historic floods devastated the neighborhood of Edgewood. WLRN was there as distraught residents waded through water to find basic provisions and check on their homes.

Broward schools worked overtime to prepare flood-damaged schools for students to return. But many residents are counting on FEMA and the local government as they try to recover from the devastating damage.

While it started raining on Monday, much of the water fell Wednesday, and the Fort Lauderdale area saw record rainfall amounts in a matter of hours, ranging from 15 inches to 26 inches.

Some residents in the hardest-hit parts of Fort Lauderdale say what little they had is ruined, after unprecedented rains sent dangerous flash floods through their homes. Some say they're just grateful they made it out alive.

Here was the scene this week after Broward County received more than 2 feet of rain.

Fort Lauderdale's 25 inches of rain is a case of a strong thunderstorm not knowing when to say when. One factor: the atmosphere in our warming planet can hold more moisture that comes down as rain.

The National Weather Service says up to 25 inches of rain fell near Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. The airport is expected to reopen Friday morning. The rains started Monday, with the heaviest downpours coming Wednesday afternoon and evening.

As coastal engineers and state and local flood management officials converged on downtown Miami for this year’s Florida Floodplain Managers Association conference at the Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel, the skies opened and unleashed a torrent of rain.

In 24 hours, 25.91 inches of rain fell at the Fort Lauderdale airport, the National Weather Service said. The figure would obliterate the previous record: 14.59 inches.