By Evelyn Garcia 
MIAMI – Seemingly unending rain has returned once again to South Florida with daily afternoon thunderstorms enhanced by tropical moisture persisting through Sunday, part of what has been one of the wettest starts to September for many places along the state’s Gold Coast.
Miami has recorded more than 14 inches of rain since the start of the month.
A flash flood threat is in place for portions of the Gold Coast through Saturday morning.
The nonstop precipitation has actually helped ease drought conditions that have plagued much of the Sunshine State this year.
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According to the FOX Forecast Center, an additional widespread 2-3 inches of rain is possible through Sunday, mainly across Florida’s east coast, with localized instances of 3-5 inches possible from storms that repeatedly move over the same area.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood threat from the Florida Keys to Vero Beach. The threat expands northward through Melbourne on Friday.
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Miami’s 14-plus inches of rain since the start of September ranks as the third-wettest start to the month in 130 years of recordkeeping. The city typically averages 10 inches for all of September.
Fort Lauderdale has recorded more than 9 inches, and Daytona Beach has recorded over 8 inches of rain since the beginning of the month.
It’s been a tale of two states in terms of precipitation this month. While South Florida has been swamped, the Florida Panhandle has stayed dry, with Tallahassee not recording a single drop this month – its driest start to September on record.
On the state’s Gulf coast, Tampa has only picked up 0.44 inches of rain, its third-driest start to September in history.
Meanwhile, the overall rain has been beneficial for Florida, which now has drought conditions across just 3% of the state, down from 84% of the state as of early May.
Florida’s dry season runs from November to June.