Florida Getting Drenched by 'Wall of Water'

Florida is being absolutely deluged right now, and while the intense rain is not officially part of a tropical storm or depression, the National Hurricane Center says there's a 20% chance it could turn into one over the next week. As much as 7 inches of rain fell in parts of the state Tuesday, and a meteorologist in Miami told USA Today Wednesday that another 4 to 10 inches had already fallen, with 3 to 6 more inches possible before the day's end. Flash flood warnings were issued in some areas, and the National Weather Service in Miami issued this blunt warning: "SEEK HIGHER GROUND, GET OFF THE ROADS." Hurricane season starts in early June, and this year's is predicted to be one of the most active in recent memory, the AP reports.

"This will be like a wall of water coming at southern and central Florida into Thursday," an AccuWeather meteorologist said of the current storm. Cars were sent floating, roads were left impassable, and one major artery of Interstate 95 was being diverted due to flooding. States of emergency have been declared in some counties, and dozens of flights were delayed or canceled. "I want to leave this place in the next three months. This is horrible," says one local whose lobby has flooded five times in the year since he moved into the building. (More Florida stories.)