User:12george1/April 1979 South Florida floods

The April 1979 South Florida floods was a major flooding event in the Miami metropolitan area caused by a nearly stationary trough of low pressure in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and a high-pressure area over the western Atlantic Ocean. Precipitation amounts ranging from 12 to 18 in fell from April 24–25 over a narrow, but densely populated area between southwest Miami-Dade County (then Dade County) to eastern Broward and Palm Beach counties. A peak total of 18.1 in of rain fell near Boca Raton and Delray Beach, while the Miami International Airport observed a 24-hour record for precipitation. These heavy precipitation amounts were preceded by an unusually dry 3-month month period.

Floodwaters inundated several major highways and numerous other roads in South Florida. Many businesses and homes suffered water damage, albeit to a generally minor extent. Damage totaled at least $47.2 million (1979 USD), with at least $30 million of that figure incurred to agriculture and crops. The weather event also resulted in two deaths.

Impact
The flood event caused approximately $30 million in damage to agriculture and crops in the tri-county area, including $22 million in Broward County, $5.6 million in Palm Beach County, and $5 million in Miami-Dade County. Approximately 4,800 - 4,900 acres of crops experienced some degree of damage in Palm Beach County, with beans accounting for about 3,000 acres of that total.

Two fatalities were reported in relation to the flooding. One occurred in Broward County when a woman unintentionally drove into a canal due to difficulty to distinguish it from the roadway. The other death resulted when a man in Miami-Dade County crashed into an electrical pole after slick roads caused him to lose control of his vehicle.