PM Drive in Palm Beach County: Flooded Streets in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, and the Military Trail Crash Investigation to Steer Clear Of
Standing water from a 15-inch weekend deluge is the evening's first hazard, and the Greenacres investigation corridor at Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard is the second - with a flood watch running through tonight.
The Monday evening drive in Palm Beach County starts on wet pavement and gets worse where the weekend's rain is still standing. There is a considerable amount of street flooding in the county, especially in Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Fisher said, after rainfall that topped more than 15 inches in Riviera Beach in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Monday. The station's live feed read 73.6 degrees with rain showers on Monday afternoon, and South Florida's flood watch runs through Monday night, with an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain expected, up to 5 inches in some spots - enough, the Weather Service warned, for more street flooding and road closures in flood-prone areas.
The second hazard is a place, not a forecast: Greenacres. Federal investigators are working the Learjet crash site at Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard, where about 100 homes around the site have been evacuated, and the Military Trail corridor at the investigation remains the drive to avoid on Monday evening. Drivers crossing the county should route around the Military Trail / Cresthaven area entirely rather than discovering the investigation perimeter at its edge.
The practical rules for the drive are the flood rules: never cross water of unknown depth, treat any street that flooded on Sunday as liable to flood again under a slow-moving cell, and expect the wet pattern to follow voters into Tuesday as well, with Election Day rain chances of 60 to 70 percent before the week dries out. The Traffic Desk updates the drive again in the next cycle if officials post new closures.
