Rain soaks SWFL, causes flooding, blocks roads

FORT MYERS, Fla. Scattered rain and storms associated with a tropical wave pose a threat for localized flooding across Southwest Florida on Friday.

Flood watches are in effect for Lee and Charlotte counties until 8 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said.

A flood watch is in effect until Saturday morning for Glades, Hendry and Collier counties, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

The wave isn’t related to Hurricane Harvey, which is poised to slam the Gulf coast of Texas, but it will nonetheless bring a greater-than-normal chance of rain throughout the day, WINK meteorologist Matt Devitt said.

The rainfall forced the postponement of all Friday night high school football games scheduled at Lee County public schools, as well as all other after-school activities, the school district said.

Parents were advised to pick up their children from Cape Coral schools “at their earliest convenience,” according to the Emergency Operations Center. Buses and car lines will proceed at normal time, but if a bus driver can’t make it through a flooded area the student will be returned to school.

A school bus was stuck in water for at least 30 minutes on 11400 Char Ann Drive near Summerlin Road and San Carlos Boulevard in south Fort Myers. Tow trucks helped get it out of the water, and it was able to drive off.

It’s unclear if any students were on the bus.

Many roads were closed in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Collier County.

Flooding has made some roads impassable on Pine Island, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Some residents in Cape Coral said the flooding left them stranded in their homes.

The following intersections and streets are flooded in Cape Coral, according to the Cape Coral Fire Department:

• Nelson Road and Diplomat Parkway
• Santa Barbara Boulevard and Diplomat Parkway
• Andalusia Boulevard and Diplomat Parkway
• Trafalgar Parkway and Chiquita Boulevard
• Kismet Parkway between Santa Barbara Boulevard and Del Prado Boulevard
• Santa Barbara Boulevard between Kismet Parkway and Tropicana Parkway
• Nelson Road between Kismet Parkway and Tropicana Parkway

Cars, trucks and a school bus had to drive through deep water on Tropicana Parkway near Santa Barbara Boulevard in Cape Coral. WINK News reporter Oliver Redsten livestreamed from there via Facebook:

A rising canal that runs along Broadway in Fort Myers brought water within feet of homes on Grace Avenue.

WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern was live from the scene: