The districts are preparing for heavy tropical rains

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – Residents and counties in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast are bracing for flooding as a system could bring heavy tropical rains to South Florida for most of next week.

“I've seen this happen so many times,” said WPTV Weather Spotter Merry O'Rourke. “It would be nice not to flood.”

O'Rourke is a longtime Jupiter resident who has struggled with flooding in her home for years.

“When my house flooded 30 years ago, I started laying towels around, but then it got under the foundation and everything just started floating,” she said. “At this point, you’re helpless.”

O'Rourke also said floodwaters sometimes make the road in front of her home impassable.

“The flooding was so severe that the water reached about halfway down (the driveway),” she said. “The back yard didn't flood, but cars stopped and a lady came to my driveway and stayed here until it went a little downhill.”

WPTV's Joel Lopez spoke with First Alert weather meteorologist Jennifer Correa, who explained why we're expecting tropical downpours in the coming days.

“So what's happening is that moisture is coming in from the Caribbean, moisture is coming in from the western Gulf of Mexico,” she said, “and what will ultimately happen is at least two low pressure systems will develop.”

Most of the heavy rain is expected mid-week next week.

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“Next Wednesday we are expecting heavy rains, tropical rains, we also have the risk of strong thunderstorms, and this danger could actually come as early as Monday or Tuesday and with it the risk of flooding.”

This moisture could soak the already saturated ground by the end of next week.

“Is there anything you can do to avoid this or do you just have to deal with it?” Lopez asked.

“We can’t really avoid it, you have to prepare,” Correa said. “There is still a lot of uncertainty, but one thing is certain: we are going to get into this very wet pattern.”

Indian River, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties told Lopez they had just cleared drains ahead of Category 4 Hurricane Helene, but counties like Okeechobee plan to have crews on standby in case of flooding.