LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Officials closed the Lake Worth Beach Pier on Thursday due to windy conditions, while other Palm Beach County municipalities are taking precautions to prevent flooding.
"We did not expect this," Mike Bayert said.
For the past 20 years, the Bayert family has traveled to Florida for the holidays.
"Of all the weeks we picked to come to Florida, we get rain," Liz Bayert said.
The ocean off Lake Worth Beach looked grim and heavy waves made way for dangerous rip currents and the possibility of beach erosion.
The city is monitoring flood-prone areas and cleaning grates, with four vacuum trucks going through the city to clean up roads so that any excess stormwater is allowed to drain.
Up and down the coast, Florida endured high waves with wind gusts up to 40 mph.
In Boca Raton, public works paid close attention to hot spots to prevent any potential flooding ahead of even more rain this weekend.
"So, generally, it's about 15 to 30 that we hit on a regular basis, and we make sure as soon as we check the weather in advance that we're out hitting those and then we also take calls from residents," Zachary Bihr, with the city of Boca Raton, said.
People like Liza Sciarra are keeping a close watch on what the weather brings.
"Flooding down here but it happens. Our weather here is crazy," she said. "It's the end of hurricane season. What are you going to do?"
The city of Lake Worth Beach hasn't decided when the pier will reopen.
