Beaches in South Florida reopened Friday, as residents of the Gulf Coast and Big Bend regions were facing a monumental task of assessing the damage and beginning the cleanup following Hurricane Helene.
Seas were still running high offshore but, while still dangerous, rip currents and breakers in the surf zone began to calm a bit on Friday in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Still, the National Weather Service extended a rip current advisory through Saturday at 8 p.m.
“Life threatening rip currents are likely,” the statement from the NWS office in Miami said. “The surf zone is dangerous for all levels of swimmers. Stay out of the water. Remember to heed the advice of the local beach patrol and flag warning systems.”