Nov 16 (Reuters) - A fierce storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts dumped more than a foot (30.5 cm) of rain on parts of South Florida on Thursday, flooding homes and streets, downing power lines and trees and leaving tens of thousands of homes and business without power.
The storm, which started on Wednesday, dropped almost 14 inches of rain from Key Largo to Fort Lauderdale while wind gusts topped out at 86 mph (136 kph), the U.S. National Service said on Thursday.
"The worst is over for South Florida, but they'll still see two to four inches today before it's over," David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said on Thursday.
The system will also bring two to four inches of precipitation to Central Florida, he said, before the storm moves north to the Carolinas in the evening and into Friday.
The severity and frequency of major storms affecting the U.S. in recent years is linked to global warming.
Persons:
they'll, David Roth, Roth, Rich McKay, Marguerita Choy
Organizations:
U.S . National Service, Dade, National Weather Service, Carolinas, Thomson
Locations:
South Florida, Largo, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Central Florida, Atlanta