AdriansWeather.com

One of the most powerful thunderstorms to ever strike the Miami area struck in the late afternoon on June 5, 2009. The severe thunderstorm dropped nine inches of rain in only a few hours and brought wind gusts of over hurricane force. The storm was very isolated - the city of Miami,only one mile to the West across the harbor, didn't experience winds any higher than 35mph. I noticed the storm on radar and decided to drive out to Miami Beach to see if I could get some footage. I made it just in time - within five minutes of my arrival the winds increased from nothing to gusting to 80mph. Right before the wind struck large hailstones the size of golf balls pelted the streets. The tropical hail was softer than its Midwestern counterparts and so did not cause any real damage to my car. The storm also had incredibly dangerous lightning - a radar in Miami recorded 100 lightning strikes in a 2 square mile area in five minutes. The building I took shelter in was struck several times before the power failed. The thunderstorm was rotating and incredibly inductive to tornadic development, although no tornado was officially recorded. The damaging winds came and went several different times, initially from the South and then slowly switching to the West, which indicates the thunderstorm was rotating. The wind tore off shingles, ripped apart fences and snapped tall trees, but the real damage was caused by the rain. Despite being relatively flat and surrounded by ocean on all sides, Miami Beach's drainage system was overwhelmed. The majority of South Beach was flooded in water up to 4ft deep. Hundreds of cars stalled in the waters, and traffic was diverted over sidewalks and lawns.

Posted by adrian2323 on Nov 16, 2009

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