A state of emergency was declared in parts of South Florida on Thursday after the city of Fort Lauderdale received more than two feet of rain.

The order was issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis after historic floods closed the airport for more than 24 hours, shut down high-speed rail services and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.

Southeastern Broward County and northeastern Miami-Dade County received approximately 4 to 8 inches of rain, with the Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area receiving the heaviest rainfall estimates of 15 to 25 inches.

Flood warnings were in effect for Fort Lauderdale until 10 a.m. ET on Friday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

More rain is possible Friday afternoon and into the evening, according to the NWS forecast, but it won’t be as severe as the torrential downpours earlier this week.

After several days of wet weather, heavy rain fell in a few hours on Wednesday. Drone footage showed dozens of vehicles drifting down the main road and residents walking waist-deep through the flooded streets.

At one Fort Lauderdale airport terminal, water rushed through the doors, creating a virtual river down the runway between planes.

“I’ve lived here all my life. This is the most severe flooding I’ve ever seen,” said Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy. CNN.

Crew members were working to clear drains and run pumps to clear standing water. Fort Lauderdale Airport reopened at 9 a.m. Friday morning, officials reported.

Global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall in the United States over the past 70 years.

For every degree increase in temperature, the water vapor capacity of the atmosphere increases by about 7%, leading to more intense rainfall. Climate and Energy Solutions Center.