BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – It will be windy, rainy and colder from Wednesday to Friday in South Florida.
A flood watch is in effect for metro Miami-Dade and Broward counties and a coastal flood statement is in effect through late Wednesday evening for the Florida Keys.
There will be scattered rainfall on Wednesday in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The temperatures will increase to the mid-upper 70s and it will remain windy on Thursday and Friday. Expect a wet and windy weekend.
On Hollywood Beach, lifeguards were flying red flags Tuesday and Wednesday, warning of rip currents.
“I think it’s awful,” one beachgoer told Local 10′s Saira Anwer Wednesday. “We’re on vacation for a couple of months, so we’re going to lose a couple of days. But it’s scary.”
The conditions all coming as wind and flood advisories are put in place and as South Florida awaits rainstorms that are expected to arrive in the latter part of the week.
“I think everybody is kind of nervous of what’s to come,” beachgoer Gina Miller told Local 10′s Roy Ramos Tuesday.
Miller was one of several bundled-up beachgoers who were not letting the weather stop her from enjoying the day, but she quickly realized just how fast the conditions were changing.
“It is like you are so far away, but yet it is right here and blowing in your face a little bit, so it is intense,” she said.
On Wednesday, the waves were high off Hollywood Beach, keeping people out of the water.
Wind and rain chances are expected to increase throughout Wednesday and the city of Hollywood is taking precautions for the beach broadwalk that is no stranger to flooding and beach erosion.
“It is the beach erosion that is the big issue because they have to constantly work on it,” beachgoer Lowell Halpern said.
Flood barriers have been placed at the openings of the seawall with hopes that they will prevent storm surge and sand from causing damage to the broadwalk and nearby businesses.
Florida Power & Light said the flooding has caused 87 power outages in Broward County and 410 outages in Miami-Dade County as of 4 p.m. Friday.
They also released the following statement Friday which you can read here:
“We’re monitoring the sustained windy and rainy conditions impacting parts of Florida. Some wind gusts could even reach tropical-storm-force strength. Remember to stay safe and far away from downed power lines. We will respond safely and quickly to any outages.”
To report or check the status of an outage, go to FPL.com/outage.
For more about your local weather forecast and a live radar, visit this page.