Boca Raton Deluged by Record-Breaking Rainfall, Airport Temporarily Closed

On October 26, 2025, a series of powerful thunderstorms swept through Boca Raton, Florida, bringing a deluge of rain that set a new record and forced the temporary closure of the local airport.

The storms, fueled by a warm air mass and a fast-moving weather system, dumped 2.37 inches of rain on West Palm Beach in a 24-hour period, breaking the previous record of 1.62 inches set in 2012. In Boca Raton, the rainfall was even more intense, with gauges measuring up to 6.74 inches of precipitation.

The heavy downpours triggered flash flood warnings, with authorities cautioning that 3 to 5 inches of rain had fallen in Boca Raton in just one hour, with the potential for an additional 2 inches before the night was over. The "considerable" label, a rare escalation, was issued due to the severity of the flooding.

As a result of the extreme weather, the Boca Raton Airport was forced to temporarily close, though it reopened by 7 a.m. the following day. Other areas in the region also saw significant rainfall, with Delray Beach recording 6.38 inches and Boynton Beach receiving 4.62 inches.

The heavy rains came just two weeks into South Florida's dry season, which typically runs from mid-October to mid-May. The wet season, which lasts from May 15 to October 15, had already seen below-average rainfall in the region, with Palm Beach International Airport measuring 31 inches, 6.14 inches below normal.