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For the latest storm information and safety alerts, visit   FloridaDisaster.org . For real-time traffic information throughout the state, visit  FL511.com .

FDOT Completes Final Advanced Air Mobility Tabletop Exercises

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Top Nine FDOT Projects Recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida

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Florida Department of Transportation Recognizes Work Zone Awareness Week

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Florida 511 (FDOT Traffic‪)‬ 4+

• 2.3 • 103 Ratings

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Description.

The Florida 511 (FL511) Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) is the state’s official source for real-time traffic information. The FL511 Mobile App is a planning tool that provides directions to any destination in Florida with travel times and alternate routes on most roadways throughout the state. Users can also get information on crashes, congestion, construction, closures, and much more on Florida’s interstates, toll roads, and other major roadways. When there is a traffic incident to report, FL511 Mobile App will announce it, making sure users don’t need to take their eyes and attention off the road. Travel smart with the FL511 Mobile App to Connect. Know. Go. IMPORTANT – This application is intended to be used before the driver starts their trip. By downloading this Application, the user agrees to use the Application responsibly and to avoid any interaction with mobile devices while driving a motor vehicle. In order to discourage distracted driving, FL511 does not support the use of cell and smart phones while operating a motor vehicle. FL511 is not liable for any crashes that may occur while operating your vehicle. Know before you go. The use of non-GPS Devices or disabling GPS for the Florida 511 planning tool will limit the functionality of the app.

Version 2.1

The new Florida 511 app includes the following new features and improvements: • Improved landscape experience for viewing cameras • Improved launch experience for the application • Minor UI and design tweaks for better readability • Performance optimization, bug fixes and general stability improvements Thank you for using Florida 511! As always, we appreciate your feedback. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, feel free to reach out to our support team. Safe travels!

Ratings and Reviews

103 Ratings

Not usable for truckers.

They charged from a call to 511 to having to use a app or computer. Truckers can-not by law use there cell phones. They can use hands free Headset but phone must be out of drivers view. Calling and getting traffic up dates were easy a very useful for truckers. But now this system is no better then a mounted GPS. Go back or add the call up service and help truckers stay safe. Iv even seen drivers of car holding the phone and trying to get updates on traffic. Now I know some will say just mount the phone so a trucker can keep a eye on the traffic ahead. Do you want a truck weighing 40 tons doing 70mph coming up on you while the driver is looking at his phone to check traffic. And trucks are much more noisy then cars. The voice option on the app is again useless in a big truck. Just offer both options. Phone or app. Keep the highways safe.

Developer Response ,

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. The suggestion will be shared with the appropriate staff for consideration. Thank you for using FL511. Connect.Know.Go.

Absolutely Criminal

How many car accidents have already been caused by this new and “improved” non-phone-call version of the 511 system, wherein people have to have their hands instead be holding and typing on their phones and their eyes instead looking at their phone screens instead of having their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road? Only technology fetishists and government officials could be so pre-adolescently shallow and mouthbreathingly stupid to have switched over completely to something like this instead of at least keeping the old call-up system along with perhaps this “eyes off the road, please” app-only version. When does The Great Pendulum of Human Stupidity finally reach its extreme high point and begin reversing course through the brief land of actual thinking and noticing things, before reaching whatever counter-extreme of gratuitously destructive stupidity lays patiently in wait on the other side, hungrily licking its chops?

FL 511 vs VA 511

FL 511 uses still pics so info is not in real time and is a bit off. In Virginia, there 511 is a live feed so whatever is written could be a few minutes off. You need only to tap the live feed to verify which is sooo good as things can happen in seconds. This feature has saved me on so many occasions. So in Florida I can only rely on Waze. FL 511 is currently lagging and inferior without the live feed for sure. The info presented can be incorrect because it’s minutes behind what is actually happening.

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News & features, winter center, news / weather news, south florida underwater: tropical rainstorm delivers 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.

A state of emergency has been declared after a tropical rainstorm unloaded nearly two feet of rain in less than a day, shutting down travel and threatening lives and property.

By Jesse Ferrell , AccuWeather meteorologist and senior weather editor & Brian Lada , AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer

Published Jun 12, 2024 2:12 PM PDT | Updated Jun 13, 2024 11:01 AM PDT

Streets were seen flooded in numerous Florida communities on June 12, as a tropical rainstorm continued to drop heavy rain on the region.

Vehicles were stranded on roads that were transformed into rivers across South Florida on Wednesday, including around Fort Lauderdale and Miami, as a tropical deluge inundated the region.

A state of emergency has been declared in Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties due to Wednesday's flooding.

Widespread flooding from a tropical rainstorm was reported across the area, with some of the worst conditions occurring north of Miami, where a rare flash flood emergency was issued by the National Weather Service. The "particularly dangerous situation" started to unfold ahead of the Wednesday evening commute.

“ Please stay home if you possibly can and do not go wandering into flooded waters," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told Miami-based Local 10 News on Wednesday. “We want people to just stay off the roads but we are pumping and we also have our emergency vehicles on the ready.”

More than 600 flights were canceled, and another 650 were delayed between Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale International Airport on Wednesday.

As of 9:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, nearly 20 inches had fallen in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, according to AccuWeather/Ambient Weather stations. This is more than double the historical average rainfall for all of June and well above the 11.94 inches that fell in the region from January through May.

Wednesday afternoon's heavy rain in southeast Florida follows flooding reported on the west coast of the state yesterday. The Sarasota-Bradenton airport set a new preliminary record for 1-hour rainfall , racking up 3.93 inches between 7 and 8 p.m. EDT. Over 13 inches of rain was reported at one AccuWeather / Ambient Weather station.

And more rain is in the forecast.

"The surge of tropical moisture is going to continue to traverse across South Florida [through Thursday]," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said. "The heaviest of the thunderstorms are likely to continue to produce rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour."

Rainfall over southern Florida this week has exceeded 14 inches (red) in much of the region.

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COVID infections are on the rise in Florida. What to know as new variants circulate

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Are you feeling sick? You’re not alone.

Could it be COVID? It’s increasingly possible as a summer wave of the virus variant has hit Florida. The good news is it’s a modest wave compared to past trends.

Florida is one of 39 states that is seeing an increase or likely seeing an increase in COVID infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC no longer tracks cases and is relying on ER visits, hospitalizations and wastewater data to gauge the COVID situation. And while nationwide data shows that influenza and RSV levels remain low in the U.S, COVID infections are increasing. South Florida hospitals say they’re seeing more people sick with COVID too, though it’s not like previous summers.

“We’re seeing a slight increase in the number of COVID positive patients hospitalized and in the ER but it’s not dramatic compared to when we had the surges in the past,” said Dr. Paula Eckardt, the chief of infectious diseases at Memorial Healthcare System, the public hospital system in southern Broward County.

Here’s what to know:

What is the dominant COVID variant?

COVID’s alphabet soup continues to grow. And the most dominant variant in the country is KP.3, which is estimated to make up about 33% of the country’s cases, according to the CDC’s most recent estimates. It’s followed by KP.2, which makes up about 21% of cases. And scientists are closely watching LB.1, which has accelerated this month and could be on track to overtake its siblings soon.

All three descend from omicron and are offshoots of JN.1, which fueled much of the country’s winter infections. The people most at risk for severe COVID infections continue to be seniors 65 and older and people who are immunocompromised.

“There is currently no evidence that KP.3 or LB.1 cause more severe disease,” CDC spokesperson David Daigle told CBS News. “CDC will continue to track SARS-CoV-2 variants and is working to better understand the potential impact on public health.”

Are COVID vaccines still effective?

While COVID vaccines should still provide some protection against the virus, studies show that the existing shots appear to be less effective against the currently circulating variants, according to CNN. But new vaccines are expected to roll out in the fall.

An advisory committee for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recommending that Pfizer and Moderna update their vaccine formulas for the fall again, similar to how flu shots are updated annually. This time, the FDA wants the new shots to better match JN.1 and its descendants, like KP.2 and KP.3, which are also known as FLiRT variants. (The nickname isn’t scientists being funny, rather, it’s based on the technical names of their mutations , according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health).

What is the COVID situation in the country? What about in South Florida?

COVID-related ER visits have risen in the past week in the U.S., with a 25% increase in hospitalizations from May 26 to June 1, the most recent CDC data shows. Recent state health data also shows that more people have begun to test positive for COVID in Florida since late May, including in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

It’s difficult to say how many people are currently ill with COVID. Remember, COVID testing is no longer the best way to measure the disease spread since test sites are mostly gone and at-home test results don’t get reported. COVID hospitalizations remain a key indicator of the COVID situation.

At Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade’s public hospital system, there was “an all-time low number of inpatient cases” during April and May. The hospital said it began to see an uptick again in June, though it’s not enough to affect operations.

Memorial Healthcare System in Broward as also noticed a slight uptick in COVID cases recently. But the hospital is not seeing as many sick people as before, and doctors have a better grasp on how to treat patients too, said Eckardt. Like other hospitals, Memorial is also no longer testing every admitted patient for COVID.

The hospital says it has 91 inpatient COVID cases, about a 38% increase since the end of May, when it had 66 inpatient COVID cases, according to the most recent data.

Tips to stay healthy

The scorching heat is likely encouraging people to stay indoors, which could be helping the virus circulate. People are also traveling for the summer.

As people start making their July Fourth holiday and travel plans, Eckardt said it’s important to remember four key tips:

▪ Stay up-to-date with COVID vaccines.

▪ Wash your hands frequently.

▪ Consider wearing a mask if you’re planning to be in a crowded area, especially if you’re immunocompromised.

▪ If you feel sick, get tested and seek treatment, if needed.

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Hurricane season 2024: Saharan dust restricting tropical development but it won't last

What seems like a lull during a projected busy storm season is not unusual..

A burst of tropical vigor last week is withering in the final days of June with a Saharan dust outbreak trying to throttle storm development from Africa to the Caribbean.

The dust, made up of sand and mineral particles swept up from 3.5 million square miles of desert, could reach Florida by the weekend, said Michael Lowry, a meteorologist with South Florida ABC affiliate Channel 10, in his Eye on the Tropics blog .

Lowry said the plume is the largest since the hurricane season began June 1. It’s a common tourist in the Atlantic basin at this time of year, typically peaking in late June and early July with a proclivity to spoil tropical development by stealing moisture from the air.

“The tropical Atlantic appears ready for a summer vacation this week,” Lowry said.

While five tropical waves were noted in the National Hurricane Center’s weather discussion on Monday, June 24, NHC meteorologists gave only one a minimal chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next seven days.

For now, the unassuming knot of showers and thunderstorms is a few hundred miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands, but there could be slow development once it reaches the western Caribbean late this week, NHC forecasters said. The next names on the 2024 hurricane list are Beryl and Chris.

"This robust tropical wave is booking it below a belt of strong upper-level winds and dry Saharan air," Lowry said on social media.

About 60 tropical waves leave the coast of Africa each hurricane season. One in 10, on average, develops into a depression, named storm or hurricane.

Meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazques with the National Weather Service in Miami said the Saharan dust may approach the Florida Straits by Thursday but it’s too early to say how much or where exactly it will go .

“That will evolve over time and depend on the weather pattern,” she said.

Hurricane season 2024: Rapid intensification forecasts improve, and then there was Otis

Despite forecasts for an overachieving hurricane season , the first few weeks have had just the short-lived Tropical Storm Alberto formed on June 19. Although Alberto was no more than a weak tropical storm, it pushed a dangerous flooding storm surge into Texas and killed four people in Mexico, according to the Associated Press .

Alberto formed amid a flurry of activity in the Gulf of Mexico and waters surrounding Florida that included two areas that didn’t have the oomph to make it to a tropical depression before reaching the coastline.

Through June 19, the Northern Hemisphere measured an accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, of about 12, which is the third lowest for that time period since 1950, according to Colorado State University senior researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Accumulated cyclone energy is the measure of a storm’s longevity and vitality.

AccuWeather lead hurricane forecaster Alex DaSilva said the season so far has mimicked a typical year, although it may seem achingly slow because there have been several recent past years that came racing out of the gate. In 2023, tropical storms Arlene, Bret and Cindy formed in June. Two years earlier, in 2021, three tropical storms — Bill, Claudette, and Danny — and Hurricane Elsa formed in June.

But, on average, the first named storm of a season forms on June 20, DaSilva said. Alberto formed June 19. The second named storm doesn’t typically form until July 17, with the third trailing on Aug. 3.

“It’s not uncommon to get through most of June and July with two or three storms,” DaSilva said. “It’s basically a storm a month until mid- to late-August and September when you really start to rattle them off.”

2024 hurricane season: 5 tips to stay sane and safe in face of frightful forecast

Lowry said strong upper-level winds and Saharan dust are contributing to the lack of activity. The Central American Gyre, which spawned Alberto and Invest 93-L, which caused heavy rainfall over northeastern Mexico before dissipating, has also “retreated”, Lowry said.

“Mother Nature is taking a break for the next seven days, at least,” wrote FOX Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross in a social media post made before the 2 p.m. forecast by NHC identified what could become Beryl.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected].   Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today.

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Tropical rainstorms in South Florida lead to flight delays and streets jammed with stalled cars

A tropical disturbance brings a rare flash flood emergency to Miami and much of southern Florida

Locals recounted their fear after floods blanketed neighborhoods and roads in South Florida, leaving drivers stranded.

This aerial view taken from video shows a flooded street in Northeast Miami-Dade County, Fla., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. A tropical disturbance brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida the day before. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)

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Francisco Lopez stands near the flooded parking lot of his apartment building, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Hallandale, Fla. A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Two women react as they see flooding on their street, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in North Miami, Fla. A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

This aerial view taken from video shows multiple cars stranded on a road in Northeast Miami-Dade County, Fla., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. A tropical disturbance brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida the day before. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)

A man walks on a flooded street on his way to work, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in North Miami, Fla. A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

A woman walks with her belongings on a flooded street, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in North Miami, Fla. Over 20 inches of rain fell over two days was in North Miami. A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

This aerial view taken from video shows people walking on a flooded street in Northeast Miami-Dade County, Fla., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. A tropical disturbance brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida the day before. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)

Residents in the sea-side town of Surfside, Fla., fill sandbags to protect their homes for more flooding expected on Thursday, June 13, 2024. A tropical disturbance brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida the day before. Floridians prepared to weather more heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Mike Viesel and his dog Humi, wait in his flooded car for a tow truck after the car stalled on Taft Street due to heavy rain flooding the neighborhood on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Hollywood, Fla. The annual rainy season has arrived with a wallop in much of Florida, where a disorganized disturbance of tropical weather from the Gulf of Mexico has caused street flooding and triggered tornado watches but so far has not caused major damage or injuries. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A tropical disturbance that brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida delayed flights at two of the state’s largest airports and left vehicles waterlogged and stalled in some of the region’s lowest-lying streets.

“Looked like the beginning of a zombie movie,” said Ted Rico, a tow truck driver who spent much of Wednesday night and Thursday morning helping to clear the streets of stalled vehicles. “There’s cars littered everywhere, on top of sidewalks, in the median, in the middle of the street, no lights on. Just craziness, you know. Abandoned cars everywhere.”

Rico, of One Master Trucking Corp., was born and raised in Miami and said he was ready for the emergency.

“You know when its coming,” he said. “Every year it’s just getting worse, and for some reason people just keep going through the puddles.”

Matthew Koziol, Matías Ricci, Manuel Ricci and Raúl Fernández travel by raft through a flooded street caused by heavy rain on North Bay Road in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)

Travelers across the area were trying to adjust their plans on Thursday morning. More than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain has fallen in some areas of South Florida since Tuesday, with more predicted over the next few days.

Ticket and security lines snaked around a domestic concourse at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport just before noon Thursday. The travel boards showed about half of that terminal’s flights had been canceled or postponed.

Bill Carlisle, a Navy petty officer first class, had spent his morning trying to catch a flight back to Norfolk, Virginia. He had arrived at Miami International Airport at about 6:30 a.m., but 90 minutes later he was still in line and realized he couldn’t get his bags checked and through security in time to catch his flight.

“It was a zoo,” said Carlisle, a public affairs specialist. He was speaking for himself, not the Navy. “Nothing against the (airport) employees — there is only so much they can do.”

So he used his phone to book an afternoon flight out of Fort Lauderdale. He took a shuttle the 20 miles north, only to find that flight had been canceled. He was now heading back to Miami for a 9 p.m. flight, hoping it wouldn’t get canceled by the heavy rains expected later in the day. He was resigned, not angry.

“Just a long day sitting in airports,” Carlisle said. “This is kind of par for the course for government travel.”

Wednesday’s downpours and subsequent flooding blocked roads, floated vehicles and even delayed the Florida Panthers on their way to Stanley Cup games in Canada against the Edmonton Oilers.

The disorganized storm system was pushing across Florida from the Gulf of Mexico at roughly the same time as the early June start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory amid concerns that climate change is increasing storm intensity.

The disturbance has not reached cyclone status and was given only a slight chance to form into a tropical system once it moves into the Atlantic Ocean after crossing Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hector Guifarro climbs around to the front of his vehicle to avoid the flooded street in front of St. Edwards Apartments in Edgewater along N.E. 23rd Street in Miami, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP)

In Hallandale Beach, Alex Demchemko, was walking his Russian spaniel Lex along the still-flooded sidewalks near the Airbnb where he’s lived after arriving from Russia last month to seek asylum in the U.S.

“We didn’t come out from our apartment, but we had to walk with our dog,” Demchemko said. “A lot of flashes, raining, a lot of floating cars and a lot of left cars without drivers, and there was a lot of water on the streets. It was kind of catastrophic.”

On Thursday morning, Daniela Urrieche, 26, was bailing water out of her SUV, which got stuck on a flooded street as she drove home from work on Wednesday afternoon.

“In the nine years that I’ve lived here, this has been the worst,” she said. “Even in a hurricane, streets were not as bad as it was in the past 24 hours.”

The flooding wasn’t limited to the streets. Charlea Johnson spent Wednesday night at her Hallendale Beach home barreling water into the sink and toilet.

A man makes his way down the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk as heavy rain falls over parts of South Florida on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Hollywood, Fla. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP)

“The water just started flooding in the back and flooding in the front,” Johnson said.

By Wednesday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and mayors in Fort Lauderdale , Hollywood and Miami-Dade County each declared a state of emergency.

It’s already been a wet and blustery week in Florida. In Miami, about 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday and 7 inches (17 centimeters) fell in Miami Beach, according to the National Weather Service. Hollywood got about 5 inches (12 centimeters).

More rain was forecast for the rest of the week, with some areas getting another 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain.

The western side of the state, much of which has been in a prolonged drought , also got some major rainfall. Nearly 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain fell Tuesday at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the weather service says, and flash flood warnings were in effect in those areas as well.

Forecasts predict an unusually busy hurricane season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates there is an 85% chance that the Atlantic hurricane season will be above average, predicting between 17 and 25 named storms in the coming months including up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms.

A man works to clear debris from a flooded street as heavy rain falls over parts of South Florida on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Hollywood, Fla. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP)

Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg and Stephany Matat, in Hallandale Beach, contributed to this story.

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Here’s the weather you can expect at the most photo-worthy beaches this summer.

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A swim retailer crunched the numbers and found the most Instagrammable beaches across the U.S., hopefully putting an end to your fear of missing out.

So grab the towel and beach chair and hit the sand for your summer vacation. Florida and California populate most of the top 20 beaches. But Washington, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia also snuck in there. 

SwimOutlet  identified 250 of the most popular beaches in America, according to research on TripAdvisor and OpenAI. Then, the researcher tallied up American beach hashtag posts, all 91.6 million of them. 

Here are the top Instagrammed beaches:

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach, Florida, boasts an impressive 16.5 million hashtag posts. That is twice the number of the second-place beach.

Summer weather norms:

• High temp: 87.3 degrees
• Low temp: 77.5 degrees
• Summer rain: 21.25 inches

South Beach, Florida

South Beach had nearly twice the hashtag posts as the third beach on the list.

Palm Beach, Florida

• High temp: 89.4 degrees
• Low temp: 75.8 degrees
• Summer rain: 22.79 inches

Newport Beach, California

SwimOutlet wrote that Newport Beach is especially featured during sunset.

• High temp: 71.1 degrees
• Low temp: 63.8 degrees
• Summer rain: 0.09 inches

Long Beach, Washington

Long Beach’s boardwalk is the big Kodak moment.

• High temp: 64.5 degrees
• Low temp: 50.7 degrees
• Summer rain: 5.33 inches

Here are the beaches that round out the top 20:

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Florida’s 511 Traveler Information System is one of the most effective ways drivers can keep informed about roadway conditions during severe weather, evacuations and emergencies.

Can I use 511 during an emergency?

Yes. FDOT provides 511 to help Floridians get vital roadway information during an emergency: hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, high winds and others.

Will I be able to connect to 511 during an emergency?

FDOT designed the 511 web site to handle a large number of users.

You can also download the Florida 511 app for Apple and Android devices to get access to the same information.

What kind of information does 511 provide?

511 provides locally generated reports on:

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511 also provides AMBER, Silver and Blue Alerts (formerly known as Law Enforcement Officer or LEO Alerts).

What’s the best way to use 511 in an emergency?

Plan ahead! Check out the recommended  Evacuation Routes  from the Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT). Then sign up for a My Florida 511 account and set up one or more personalized evacuation routes.

During an emergency, you can get real-time information on your planned routes via the 511 web site or app; or request email or alerts to be sent to you.

You can also visit FL511.com before you head out for up-to-the-minute reports. The website has traffic camera images, so you can see current conditions for yourself.

If you’re driving, have a passenger check 511 for you, or stop at a rest area or other facility before checking 511.

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• Slow Down — Fog and smoke create a visual illusion of slow motion for the driver and reduce visibility. Most fog or smoke related crashes result from unsafe speeds.
• Stay Alert — Watch out for slow-moving or stopped vehicles.
• Reduce Distractions — Turn off the radio and cell phones while driving through smoke and fog. Your full attention is required.
• Use Appropriate Lighting — Use low beam headlights or fog lights. Do not use your car’s high beam headlights, which can reflect off fog or smoke.
• Turn Off Hazard (Flashing) Lights  — Hazard lights should be used only while parked.
• Be Patient — Avoid passing or changing lanes unless absolutely necessary.
• Do Not Stop — Unless absolutely necessary, do not stop on a freeway or other heavily traveled roads. If you must stop, signal early and move as far off the road as possible. Once stopped, turn on your hazard lights, stay in the vehicle.

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Fatal crash shuts down Maitland Boulevard outside Lake Lotus Park

Crash occurred at maitland boulevard, lake lotus park road.

Brandon Hogan , Digital Editor

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – A two-vehicle crash Thursday morning in Altamonte Springs killed one person and forced the closure of Maitland Boulevard outside Lake Lotus Park, according to police.

The crash was reported at Lake Lotus Park Road and Maitland Boulevard.

The Altamonte Springs Police Department said in a statement around 7:30 a.m. that the westbound lanes of Maitland Boulevard would remain shut down at Magnolia Homes Road for around two hours as traffic is redirected to 434 (Forest City Road).

Police described the person who died as the “at fault driver,” adding there were no other injuries.

No other details have been shared.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Brandon hogan.

Brandon, a UCF grad, joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. Before joining News 6, Brandon worked at WDBO.

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Tropical rain storms could affect Texas and the Southeast this week

Houston could be hit by heavy rains and flooding from the season’s potential first tropical storm. Another could bring downpours to Florida or the Southeast.

Hurricane season is underway, and a pair of tropical disturbances in Atlantic waters are organizing and could affect the United States. While neither will probably become a hurricane, both could bring tropical deluges and pockets of flooding. One or both could even earn a name; the first two names on the 2024 storm list are Alberto and Beryl.

The stronger of the two, which the National Hurricane Center says has a 70 percent likelihood of development, is located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. That one will probably become a tropical depression or storm and make landfall in Mexico, but its biggest impacts could be stateside — moist flow on the northern side of the circulation could dump excessive rains in Texas, with double-digit totals possible in spots, including Houston. The National Weather Service has already placed large parts of the Texas coast in a Level 3 out of 4 risk area for flash flooding and excessive rainfall.

Then there’s a sneakier disturbance over the northwestern Bahamas. That one could pinch off into a tropical depression or low-end storm and sweep inland between northern Florida and the Carolinas late in the workweek. Squally weather with gusty winds and downpours is possible, but exactly where it might come ashore is still uncertain.

Hurricane season doesn’t peak in the Atlantic until mid-September on average, and experts are calling for a potentially hyperactive season this year. A combination of above-average water temperatures and a burgeoning La Niña — which will make for favorable upper-level winds conducive to tropical development — favors a particularly busy season.

System 1 in Gulf of Mexico

On satellite imagery, a broad counterclockwise swirl is evident over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the Yucatán Peninsula. This is a CAG, or Central American Gyre — in essence a large-scale low pressure system with diffuse spin. Scattered showers and thunderstorms surround its weak circulation.

There is a chance that a more concentrated lobe of vorticity, or spin, consolidates and works toward Mexico. That could lead to the formation of a short-lived tropical storm. If that’s the case, it would earn the name Alberto.

What’s perhaps more impactful, though, is the persistent humid flow that will wrap northwest into Texas around the broader low pressure system. An incredibly moisture-rich air mass will stream into the Lone Star State from Tuesday through Friday. That will lead to heavy downpours and thunderstorms with the potential for localized significant flooding.

Downpours will reach the Texas coastline on Tuesday night or the pre-dawn hours Wednesday morning. Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Rockport and Houston-Galveston will all probably be affected. Downpours will work north and west on Wednesday and into Thursday, probably dissipating Thursday into Friday as showers reach west toward the Permian Basin. In any given area, downpours will probably last 18 to 24 hours.

Widespread totals of 4 to 7 inches are likely across South Texas, including the Texas coastline near and south of Houston. It’s unclear how much moisture works northeast toward the Golden Triangle. This area has been hit repeatedly by rain and storms since the spring and is vulnerable to flooding.

It’s also unclear how far north precipitation will reach. The greatest chances for heavy rain are south of Interstate 20. A few locations in Texas Hill Country or along the coastline could see rain totals in excess of 10 inches.

System 2 — Atlantic Ocean, Bahamas, Florida and Southeast

A broad pocket of spin exists over the northwestern Bahamas. That pocket of spin will continue to be shunted west-northwestward by a broader high pressure force field to the east over the central Atlantic.

Weather models struggle with simulating where, within that zone, a more focused area of spin will develop. On Sunday, for example, weather models hinted at possible formation of a tropical depression that would work toward Florida; on Monday morning, conversely, they painted a picture of a system having more time to organize and making landfall Saturday in the Carolinas as a tropical storm.

As such, it’s impossible to sort out any potential impacts or ascertain the timing of any hazards. For now, the National Hurricane Center estimates a 30 percent chance of eventual tropical development.